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Kill Bill Vol 2 - Movie Review - DVD - Buy Movies - Rent MoviesWaiting for a Quentin Tarantino movie is almost like waiting for a bus. You wait ages for one then two of them come along in quick succession. The second half of QT’s movie has arrived but is it any good?
Well, after the high kicking, action packed, Samurai sword wielding antics of QT’s eastern we have here a complete change of pace. A character driven, darker and brutal modern day spaghetti western where we see The Bride tracking down the remaining members of The Deadly Viper Assassin Squad; Bud and Elle Driver and the main man, Bill. The mood and feel in most of this film is very Sergio Leone influenced based where confrontation, conflict and backdrops of characters and scenery are very personal and spaghetti-esq. There are some small elements again of eastern influences in this movie i.e. Chapter 7 the cruel tutelage of Pai Mei but this film is dedicated to the west.
Daryl Hannah is fascinating as the ruthless, double-crossing Elle Driver (aka California Mountain Snake) who absolutely despises The Bride. Her face-off with Uma Thurman is the highlight of the picture and possibly the best and most brutal fight scene out of both movies. It may lack the sheer visual spectacle of the House of Blue leaves but it’s more intense, powerful and fierce than the former. David Carradine is commanding as The Bride’s former lover and boss Bill who is waiting for their final confrontation but the best performance belongs to Michael Madsen who plays Bill’s brother, Bud. Of all the characters from The Deadly Viper Assassin Squad, Madsen makes us feel the most compassion and pity for Bud. How can this be one may ask? Sure O-Ren’s parents were murdered when she was a wee girl but she then turned to a life of crime and ended up ruling the Yakuza. However Bud never tries to be something he’s not as is also the case of Venetia Green who thinks having a four-year-old girl and getting married will erase all her past actions and cover up what she used to be. Bud just lives his life as a bum, partly as self-punishment, to atone for his wrongdoings even though deep down he feels that even his way of life now may not be enough to do that. Madsen however, on the flip side of the coin shows us through his performance how evil, dangerous and vicious Bud can be. This side of Bud permits us to forget the feelings we had for him earlier on and allows us remember whose side we are really meant to be on.
The cruel treatment of The Bride in Vol. 2 is in a complete contrast to Vol. 1 where she is triumphant and almost superhuman. This time we see Thurman portray the vulnerable, weaker, terrified side of The Bride. Not surprising when you’ve been shot with rock salt and been buried alive!
Vol. 2 nearly suffers when by some sheer amazing coincidence; the bride finally discovers that her daughter is actually alive and that’s when the problems nearly rear its ugly head. QT tries to pack too much dialogue, sentiment and more back story where only a little was needed. In fact it was in danger of turning into some damn awful episode of Little House on the Prairie or Highway to Heaven. Thankfully that never materialises and just manages to keep us from feeling too queasy.
So lets back to the original question. Is this movie any good? In a word…yes. Despite having some flaws as mentioned above, this movie complements Vol.1 perfectly. If you are expecting the high-kicking comic book antics and action of Vol.1 then prepare to be disappointed because QT has delivered a slower, dialogue based movie that is completely opposite to its predecessor. Its sinister, brutal and violent tone with spaghetti western undertones gives this the cutting edge that Vol.1 lacked.
So how can one really enjoy the Kill Bill Mythology? Even though both movies are actually excellent in their own right, take 4hrs out from your normal day and watch them back-to-back as they were meant to be viewed. You will NOT be disappointed! Leon Nicholson |
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