Written & Directed by Quentin Tarantino
“If you ever start feeling sentimental…go to Barstow, California. When you get here, walk into a florist and buy a bunch of flowers. Then you take those flowers to Huntington cemetery on Fuller and Guadalupe…look for the headstone marked Paula Schultz…then lay them on the grave. Because you will be standing at the final resting place of BEATRIX KIDDO!”
I’m still having trouble trying to put my opinion of Kill Bill Vol2 into words. In fact, the words I’m thinking of cover the entire spectrum of emotion: breathtaking, hilarious, fascinating, exciting, and not as gory as I thought it would be…which means, it’s a movie that flirts with many different levels of magnificence!
Kill Bill Vol1 was violence as art. It was an orgy of blood, beatings, and torture set to a symphony of spaghetti western soundtracks, 70s kung fu shlock, and Hong Kong, grindhouse nastiness. It was beautiful…in an absolutely terrifying way, and miles ahead of Pulp Fiction, which was far too concerned with its own coolness factor to be as good as Kill Bill.
Then, without warning, Kill Bill Vol2 takes a sharp left turn, where dialogue, character development and philosophy trade places with the violence of Vol1. Now, the violence is punctuation: stabs of chaos and in-your-face blunt force trauma that bookend the more dramatic aspects of the story.
Much of this is down to the revelation of David Carridine’s Bill. He’s Kung Fu’s Caine without the moral compass — as he bluntly states, he’s a murdering bastard. A killer who frames his psychosis in soft, carefully measured tones and thoughts, and delivers them with the smoothness of his katana slicing through silk. It’s the performance of a lifetime from a very underrated actor who has never sought to fit any sort of conventional mode. Quentin Tarrantino’s work is there as if it were conceived only for him, even down to the eerie, flute-playing nods to his iconic 1970s television role. He’s magnificent.
Michael Madsen’s Bud (Bill’s brother), is another example of audience expectations being thrown for a curve. He’s a slovenly, trailer-living, strip-club bouncing loser, who seems to be seeking some sort of atonement for his crimes…only to reveal himself to have a dark, disgusting core that goes against his every word and deed. He’s the antithesis of Bill, in that Bill’s contentment, suave and polish are reflected on the outside, but Bud’s is kept tightly hidden. The same can’t be said for Darryl Hannah’s Elle, a one-eyed, 80s wardrobe reject, stone cold bitch of a killer, who keeps a NOTEPAD handy for all the internet research she does in her spare time! Her fight with Uma’s Bride is the only knock-down-drag-out rumble of the movie, but it’s magnificent in that it sums up the entire picture, especially in its resolution: it defies expectation…and it’s damn hilarious as well.
Speaking of the Bride — who is revealed to be Beatrix Kiddo — Uma Thurman is given the chance to finally shine. A nearly silent avatar of vengeance in Vol1, she’s funny, witty, terrified, angry, emotional — humanity in microcosm. As Bill delves into a fascinating analysis that Superman’s alter ego (Clark Kent) is the hero’s critique on humanity, we realize that Beatrix is Bill’s view on the world around him. She’s imperfect yet unflinching, a victim of violence responding with a violence beyond description. Humanity in an ugly nutshell…and she’s superb.
Amid all the chaos, pontificating, and pastiche, the crowning glory of this story is the homage to shlocky Hong Kong Kung Fu films, complete with grand master: all white haired, fu-manchu moustache, and bun of steel. Combined with a porno-punk soundtrack, grainy film footage, and insane close ups and stings, it creates unbelievably funny moments. The coup de grace is Gordon Liu milking his role of Pai Mei for all its worth, down to the pulling/fluffing of his beard every two minutes!
I could go on an on, but that would be a disservice to the film. If you haven’t seen Vol1, rent it now, then go and luxuriate in Vol2. It’s not for everyone…but everyone should see it nevertheless.
10
