Now I have already written a review on the first part of the Kill Bill saga so I thought I would actually get around to writing about the second film. Kill Bill Volume 2 came out about six months after the first one. Considering I loved the first film so much I just knew I had to watch the second and see how it all ends. I was only 16 at the time but I still went to watch it at the cinema, bad Sam I know! Well what can I say about this film, its Quentin Tarantino's finest, I actually thought it was better than the first and it remains one of the films in my collection that I have seen more than twelve times.
The manufacturer's description of Kill Bill 2 is as follows. With this thrilling, must-see movie event, writer and director Quentin Tarantino completes the action packed quest for revenge begun by The Bride (Uma Thurman) in Kill Bill 1. Having already crossed two names from her death list, the Bride is back with a vengeance and taking aim at Budd and Elle Driver, the only two survivors from the squad of assassins who betrayed her four years earlier. It's all leading up to the ultimate confrontation with Bill, the Bride's former master and the man who ordered her execution. As the acclaimed follow up to the instant classic Vol. 1- you know all about the unlimited action and humour, but until you've seen Kill Bill Vol. 2, you only know half the story!
This film is absolutely fantastic and much better than Volume One. Many people have criticised this one for not having as much action as the first. What they fail to see is that this film is the overall conclusion to the Bride's mission. The first had all the action and many questions were put forward. The second
instalment has much more of a story to it; this film answers all of the questions and leaves no room for doubt about why this has all happened. I love this story and think that revenge is a subject that has been broached before many times in films but has never before dealt with the raw emotions that the Bride has to face. Yes this film does not have the action that is provided in the first but deals with explaining and expanding the story further, it also allows the characters to develop which is very hard for a film to achieve.
The script is brilliant and although this film is usually seen as the darker of the two movies, it still manages to portray the humour that Tarantino's films are famous for. It is witty and hilarious at parts where humour isn't likely to be found. Some of the thoughts and ideas that are put forward in this film do make you think, if you watch this film look out for Bill's 'Superhero' speech. I love the characters in these films and think they are extremely inventive. Budd is quite philosophical in a weird and sadistic sort of way and I personally thought his character was underused. Bill is fantastic in the climatic scene and brings to life the mean son of a b**** that was evident in the opening sequence of the first film. The Bride faces some tough emotions in this film and we are allowed to delve more into her background which I love and is my favourite scene. This is where we meet the infamous Pai Mei and we learn how he massacred over 60 monks single-handed. My favourite character is Elle Driver who is cruel, vindictive and the Bride's sworn enemy. We really do see just how much these two characters hate each other in one of the best fights I have ever seen, inside a trailer!
I loved the direction of this film and thought it was wonderfully done. Tarantino managed to capture the feel of hate and revenge and made it possible for the audience to sympathise with the Bride's quest. Her emotions were always evident and this made the film extremely powerful in that sense. I loved the settings used for this film and thought they blended with the film perfectly, almost seeming to mirror the film's purpose. There are some wonderful shots of the desert background and the scenes in China are simply superb.
One criticism that I have for this film is the climatic fighting sequence between the Bride and Bill. When I watched it I was expecting a huge, spectacular sword fight to the death. Instead I found it was quick, rather languid and a bit of a disappointment. I think this fight lasted for under a minute, just to prove my point. However this is the only problem I have with the entire film and I still thought the end was brilliant although it could have been made a little better.
The Cast Uma Thurman The Bride David Carradine Bill Elle Driver Darryl Hannah Michael Madsen Budd Gordon Liu Pai Mei
This is the main cast for the movie even though there are a few appearances by other actors who I deem unnecessary and I don't think they are worth mentioning. Uma Thurman is utterly brilliant as the revenge seeking, sword wielding Bride. Don't worry you find out her real name in this film, ooo how exciting, bet you're wondering what it is! David Carradine is ok as Bill and pulls off a worthy yet forgettable performance. I loved Darryl Hannah in this and thought she was devilishly brilliant as the wicked enemy Elle Driver. Another great actor is Pai Mei who personally I found totally entertaining as the cruel tutor of the Bride.
Ok so you would think that a major film like this when brought out on DVD would have some cool special features on, well in this instance you would be wrong. There is a satisfactory making of Kill Bill featurette which is quite interesting to watch and provides some insights into how this film was made. There is a short clip of the Kill Bill Vol. 2 premiere in which you get to see the Chingon perform a song from the film. This is quite fun to watch even though you don't really get to see any of the actors from the film apart from a few quick shots. When I was looking at the special features and saw that there was a deleted scene I was almost jumping for joy. When I watched it my appetite was satisfied a little bit. A short sequence in which we see a flashback of the Bride watching Bill fight a gang whose leader Bill has wronged. This scene is pretty good and has some good fighting moves, although they don't even compare to the scenes put into the film. However there are some funny lines in this scene, especially from the leader of the gang and I suggest that you watch it. However if you only want to watch the film and aren't bothered with the special features then save your money and buy the VHS version, although the sound and picture quality aren't as good as they are on the DVD.
My Overall Opinion I loved this film and found it hugely entertaining. I prefer it to the first one as I think this film has more of a story to it and doesn't rely on blood and controversy to make it entertaining. It has some great scenes and one of the best was definitely the infamous scene where she is buried alive! This film does have some twists in store and watch out for some of the revelations that are revealed as they have some significance. The choreography of the fighting sequences was fantastic and was done by the famous Yuen Woo-Ping. The acting was great and the cast couldn't have been more perfectly chosen, especially Darryl Hannah as Elle! At two hours and ten minutes some people thought this film could have been cut down a little, but I think everything in this film added to the atmosphere and therefore could not have been removed. This is a great ending to Kill Bill and certainly lived up to the hype from the first film. I recommend this film to all fans of Tarantino and non fans alike!!!
You can purchase this film off amazon.co.uk for £8.97 This film is rated 18 as it has a strong theme of violence and one case of hard drug use. Length: 131 minutes
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I wasn't very keen on the volume one, but thought I'd give this a go anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised and I really enjoyed it. Great review. Gayna xx
marcellep 14.11.2005 22:59
I don't fancy this dvd at all~ Great review and nice to see a price~ Rob
"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction--and so do we--in Quentin Tarantino's ... more
"roaring rampage of revenge",Kill Bill, Vol. 2. Where Vol. 1 was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been thoroughly cross-ref...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) gets her satisfaction--and so do we--in Quentin Tarantino's ... more
"roaring rampage of revenge",Kill Bill, Vol. 2. Where Vol. 1 was a hyper-kinetic tribute to the Asian chop-socky grindhouse flicks that have been thoroughly cross-ref...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The second part of Quentin Tarantino's deliriously stylish movie as The Bride (Thurman) ... more
continues her typically blood-soaked revenge quest... Having killed two of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad The Bride continues her mission to avenge the thre...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: If you like glib humor and dialogue, its for you Disadvantages: If you like glib humor and dialogue, its for you. Takes suspension of belief a bit too far...
DonMackaroni 29.09.2004 (29.09.2004)
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Review of Kill Bill Vol.2 (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 2 [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78508584.jpg "Kill Bill, Volume 2 [DVD] [2004]")
Nov 14th, 2005
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