Kill Bill
As Alvy Singer, reporter for Ain't it Cool News.com, reflected on his first viewing of Volume One with the apt sentiment: "what are you doing for the next two weeks?" "masturbating while thinking of this film." While I didn't have such strong physical emotions regarding Volume I, I was skeptical about Volume II being able to supersede such a terrific film and I found that yes, it does deliver. In Film School, we learn that the mark of a good director is his or her ability to remain invisible. Quentin Tarantino does not follow this rule. In fact his voice is heard through every line of dialogue, and his fingerprints are seen in every frame of this movie. Does this make it bad? On the contrary, this film is as hip, witty, and thoughtful as any of his previous hits. Tarantino's trademark has been his skill to borrow from films of the past and give them modern appeal drawing influence from such directors as Brian DePalma and genres including kung-fu/samurai films, westerns, blacksploitation, crime dramas, and the French New Wave. Volume II is no exception to this style. He does not merely take all the eleme
Volume II is the slower, wittier, more talkative twin brother to Volume I. He is a terrible villain, but so amazing, you cannot help but love him. The connecting theme of all the aforementioned genres is the same simple theme that drives Kill Bill: Revenge. As a whole, the film works very well. David Wasco, Quentin's production designer offers so many touches that we are accustomed to see in Tarantino's films. David Carradine as "Bill" is testament to Quentin's ability to find lost actors and show the world just how great they really are. Following similar cinematic techniques he employed in Natural Born Killers, Richardson not only makes all the locations - China, Japan, Los Angeles, Mexico look amazing, he gives much of the film a surreal and playful look that reminds the viewer that yes, it is just a movie. Michael Madsen's "Budd" has found redemption from his days as an assassin but cannot alleviate himself of his sworn duties to make sure "The Bride" is dead. Volume II adds much more depth to the revenge theme making it view more three dimensional than our heroine out to kill her would be assailants. The film does work by itself, but there is very little back-story, the characters are less than developed, and the dialogue is sparse. It is filled with sympathetic characters that the audience loves, even the most evil of them all, Bill played flawlessly by David Carradine. It is a splatter-fest, and it is fun. Some other details that worked great were the cinematography by Robert Richardson. nts of these films he devoured as a youngster, put them in a blender, and pour them all over the celluloid, he utilizes them to create thoughtful, well-developed characters that we've seen in the past and run, twist, and jerk them through the conduits of his own twisted mind and make them his own. Not to mention Darryl Hannah's animalistic portrayal of "Elle Driver".
Common topics in this essay:
Volume II,
Quentin Tarantino,
Cool Newscom,
Tenenbaums Rushmore,
Uma Thurman,
Carradine Bill,
Madsen's Budd,
Thurman Bride,
Brian DePalma,
Angeles Mexico,
volume ii,
uma thurman,
david carradine,
kill bill,
quentin tarantino,
|
Acceptance Essays
