I never forget a face but in your case I think I'll make an exception :)
I never forget a face but in your case I think I'll make an exception :)
Member since:31.08.2002
Reviews:150
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Quentin Tarantino quite clearly is obsessed about movies, you can see this in all of his movies to date, he doesn't hold back and as a result, film fans tend to love his work or loathe it. Personally I love his work, his films although often controversial, are always original, quirky, surprising and enjoyable. Most of his films have gone down as cult classics - "Pulp Fiction" "True Romance" "Reservoir Dogs" and "Jackie Brown" already have a home in my movie collection and I was anticipating another spoonful of greatness when I visited the "Little Theatre House" in Bath on Sunday to catch Tarantino's latest outing "Kill Bill volume 1".
Cast : Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Darryl Hannah, Vivica Fox, Julie Dreyfus, Sonny Chiba, Chiaki Kuriyama.
In the very first sequence of this film we see in black and white a woman bloodied, bruised, trembling in fear of her life. Footsteps indicate her tormentor is approaching, words spoken by an eloquent older man "Do you find me sadistic" "Believe me, this is me at my most masochistic" he wipes her face clean of the free flowing blood and proceeds to shoot her in the head! No holding back then Quentin, this is this directors trademark. His films start fast and accelerate and this film is no exception. We then move onto a woman (Uma Thurman) approaching a house in a quiet American suburb and ringing the bell, another woman answers the door (Vivica Fox) they appear to recognise each other before engaging in a bloody martial arts fight in the front room. They stop after being disturbed by a child returning from school, once the child is ordered to
her room the second woman tries to shoot the first woman but misses and the first woman throws a knife at the other killing her instantly, the child returns and sees her dead mother. Disturbing imagery are consistent throughout the film and increase gradually the longer we delve into the story.
As you can see, a very unusual, startling, striking yet undetailed start to the film, no background at all and at this point I had a troubled look on my face and was struggling to figure out what was going on, BUT behind this start the plot is actually quite simple once it is gradually released to us in chapter format, a story of revenge and bloody revenge at that, no quarter asked and no quarter given.
The woman shot in the head was a member of the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad (Uma Thurman), she and four colleagues headed by Bill (David Carradine) are all deadly assasins who possess great martial arts skills and kill remorselessly. The woman (we never get to hear her name and it is edited when spoke by other characters in the film ?) appears to have been shot at her wedding whilst heavily pregnant after being attacked by her four colleagues BUT amazingly she survives and is given a metal plate in her head at a hospital. Bill at first intends to have her killed whilst she lays in her coma but decides against it as it would be too cowardly. He lets her live and deal with the consequences if she ever wakes up. She does indeed wake up years later, she remembers everything, her torment and her hurt and after getting back the use of her limbs she draws up a list with the four names of her colleagues on it with the sole intent of wiping them out one by one. The rest of the film consists of how she gets on with her quest of revenge !
The thing I love about this film most is it's style, even the ultra-graphic violence is stylish. I really get the impression Tarantino is proud of this film and the film has a proud feel to it in playback, it's not remorseful or worried, it just tells a story how the writer intended it to be told. The visuals and imagery are always stunning throughout - ranging from hi-octane fight sequences to concentration on colour (blood red on white satin) to the sound (water droplets in a water butt etc etc). The thought process gone into every little detail is incredible, you can see just how Tarantino has been away so long. The characters are all very colourful and thought out too (another directorial signature tune) ranging from a schoolgirl called GoGo (Chiaki Kuriyama) who plays a cruel bodyguard to the nameless bride clad in a "Bruce Lee" like yellow jumpsuit de-limbing wherever she prowls. The films violence is extreme but is far easier to stomach by way of the clever dialogue which is often witty and thought provoking, this helps to punctuate the bloodbath scenes and create the overall atmospheric feel. The action scenes themselves are what the film has been mostly spoken about so far and rightly so, they are shocking at times (tongues being bitten out of heads/close range shooting in the head, severed limbs and main arteries, fountains of blood) and a lot of people will be horrified at them, this film more than deserves it's 18 rating, some have called the scenes unnessary and at times I have to admit I agree but it doesn't spoil too much. The martial arts special effects were created by the same person used in "Matrix" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and you can certainly see simularities especially the acrobatic scenes.
Tarantino films never lack in originality, this one doesn't either - a feature of the film is how it is told in chapter format with titles for each chapter. It is almost like watching a book being brought to life. The chapter which concentrates on one of the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad (DVAS) members background is particularly unique in that it is completely anime, this goes hand in hand with the oriental feel the movie has to it. Although other members of the DVAS haven't yet been explored like this one, I get the impression they will be in volume 2 as will Bill who has only been heard and not seen so far. The music has been well chosen for the film too including Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down" to Quincy Jones "Ironside" which help to elevate not detract from the film which others have suffered from in this genre.
The main character is played by Uma Thurman, an actress used by Tarantino before, and she plays the most demanding role of her career so far in this film. Personally I have never been that struck by her before but she plays her high energy scenes with gusto and has to be commended for that. Her character who is intent on extracting brutal revenge on her colleagues, has suffered great amounts of personal tragedy and suffering and although I did sort of feel that come across on-screen I wasn't totally convinced at the same time, maybe that will come out more in the second installment. Tarantino is very adept at getting all of his actors (even the bit parts) to act their hearts out, he's a bit like Martin Scorsese in that regard (a perfectionist). Lucy Liu is fantastic in her role as squad member O-Ren-Ishii/Cottonmouth, she's suitably convincing as the leader of the Japanese mafia underworld and has some excellent lines. Another mention has to go Chiaki Kuriyama as the schoolgirl bodyguard who belies her age with her amazing skills with samurai swords and mace and chains. Sonny Chiba, a veteran in the martial arts movie making down the years plays a samurai sword maker and Darryl Hannah (Spash, Roxanne etc) plays another member of the squad (Elle Driver) it's a bit of a role change for her and she's not who you expect to find in a Quentin Tarantino movie, she's surprisingly striking though, very easy on the eye and will no doubt have a greater part to play in volume 2.
There you have it, a martial arts movie based on revenge, a blood soaked film which from start to finish is absolutely loaded with high energy action, creativity is in abundance, experimentation is taking place, the dialogue and visuals continue throughout to envelop, in my opinion a fantastic movie and were only halfway though it (February 2004 for volume 2). I had high expectations last sunday, they weren't just met but were exceeded, I think this two part film will consist of Tarantino's best work to date. It won't be everybody's cup of tea but even the retractors will admire and respect in a way. A quality bit of film making, the best so far of 2003!!
"I can tell you with no ego this is my finest blade to date, if on your journey you should encounter god, god will be cut"
"Those of you lucky enough to have your lives take them with you. However leave the limbs you lost, they belong to me now"
"Do you want to fuck me ? Dont just laugh do you ?" "Yes" <stabs with short blade> "Do you still want to penetrate me or is it me who has penetrated you!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WormThatTurned, Nov 2003.
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Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Proudly billed as "the fourth film by Quentin Tarantino",Kill Bill, Volume 1is actually ... more
half of it (if you include his chunk ofFour Roomsit's really the fourth and a quarterth). IfJackie Brownachieved a certain maturity beyond callous cool, then this i...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Proudly billed as "the fourth film by Quentin Tarantino",Kill Bill, Volume 1is actually ... more
half of it (if you include his chunk ofFour Roomsit's really the fourth and a quarterth). IfJackie Brownachieved a certain maturity beyond callous cool, then this i...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! In part 1 of Quentin Tarantino's delirious ... more
revenge movie Uma Thurman plays 'The Bride' a woman seeking vengeance on those who massacred her wedding party... Inspired by countless Japanese swordplay actionfests...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
The acclaimed fourth film from groundbreaking writer and director Quentin Tarantino, KILL ... more
BILL VOLUME 1 stars Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu and Vivica A. Fox in an astonishing. action-packed thriller about brutal betrayal and an epic vendetta! Four years after...
Advantages: Thurman is amazing, Tarantino's direction is flawless and the fight choreography is stunning. Disadvantages: Err... well its only half a film.
moxon123 14.03.2006 (14.03.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Kill Bill Vol.1 (DVD)
Advantages: Fantastic gore drenched classic for fans of Samurai/Yakuza/Ganster/Kung Fu and Hong Kong Films. Disadvantages: Strictly for fans of Tarantino and Martial Arts films only. The rest of you just won't get it.
willgould 23.10.2003 (24.10.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Kill Bill Vol.1 (DVD)
clarebartlett1974 12.07.2004 (12.07.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Kill Bill Vol.1 (DVD)
Advantages: A Quentin Tarantino film with a great plot, and amusing blood Disadvantages: Some people find it boring, but I don't understand it myself...
![Kill Bill, Volume 1 [DVD] [2003]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78528686.jpg "Kill Bill, Volume 1 [DVD] [2003]")
Nov 5th, 2003
(Nov 6th, 2003)
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