It’s been six months since we were introduced to Uma Thurman’s The Bride character. After stealing the spotlight with “Kill Bill’s” relentless cult film reflexivity and extreme violence filtered through a global community of cinematic traditions, Quentin Tarantino, the ultimate movie dork, returns with a victorious second installment. With “Vol. 2,” Tarantino continues to show how movie obsessed he really is.
“Kill Bill Vol. 2” starts out with a semi-recap for the first film with The Bride getting shot in the head, followed by the black and white image of her in the convertible that graces the teaser of this film. The Bride is on her way to her last stop? to kill Bill (David Carradine, “Kung Fu”).
Then, in standard Tarantino style, we jump back in time to the third assassin on her list, Budd (Michael Madsen, “Reservoir Dogs”), and she continues her rampage of revenge.
The first fact to notice about the second volume is that it contains far less action that the previous one. This is not a bad thing however, as it makes up for “Vol. 1’s” lack of character development.
The Bride is fully fleshed out and the audience begins to understand why she is so bent on revenge. Audiences also come to understand and eventually like Bill. There are more scenes of long talking and monologues, a Tarantino trademark.
It is clear that this was written as one movie, but its time-jumping and episodic structure lent itself well to the split. So while the tone changes, it flows well from the end of the first. Recently Tarantino mentioned a limited release combined version of the films, which should be an incredible event.
So, the plot comes full circle and most of the characters are fleshed out appropriately. But what about the style? Well, Tarantino nailed everything on the head here.
The sequences with Budd are built from the elements of classic Westerns. The flashback to the Bride’s training with Pai Mei (Gordon Lui, “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin”) is almost a perfect replica of a Shaw Bros. film right down to the extreme zoom in, out of focus, then quick refocus. It is a Hong Kong fan’s dream come true!
Most amazingly, the acting is superb given the kitsch style and B-movie nature of Tarantino’s most indulgent epic. Uma’s performance rocks ? that’s an already established fact. But, the supporting cast (even those who haven’t been around recently) proves it can handle the inherent challenges of “Kill Bill.”
Daryl Hannah redefines the term “bitch” as Elle. She is ruthless and her fight with the Bride couldn’t be any dirtier than it is. Michael Madsen also does a great job playing a run-down alcoholic that looks like he’d loose a sword fight in a heartbeat, but is too crafty to get caught in one in the first place.
The true gem of this group is Bill, himself. David Carradine is just amazing. He gets the best lines and presents them with such dignity that it is impossible to hate this character, no matter how bad he is. You leave pondering the question of why no one else has found in him what Quentin has. It is nice to know that he will now be remembered for at least one more role other than Kane in “Kung Fu.” Hopefully, other directors will start giving him more roles now.
Quentin Tarantino has succeeded in making the ultimate tribute to grind house cinema. It won’t convert audiences that couldn’t see past the blood of “Vol. 1,” but if your biggest complaint was too much style and not enough character and dialogue, then “Vol. 2” should really be given a chance. It’s classic Tarantino.
Having seen the saga to its completion, “Vol. 2” only works to make the previous “Kill Bill” more enjoyable.
Quentin’s shooting of fights still isn’t perfect, which was a major critique of the first half. But Tarantino understands Hong Kong style far better than any other American directors and he must get credit for it.
Grade: A
