so, in continuing with these reviews, I will again take this verbatim from a review I did on 2+2(I'm just gonna go through my reviews there until I'm done with them, so it should be another 4 or so and then I will start writing fresh reviews). Again, I'm working off of the TSPDT 250 of the 00s. Once I get about 10 of these bad boys, i will start archiving them somewhere. anywho, here we go




Kill Bill Vol. 1: this is quentin tarantino's 4th film. A classic revenge story mixed in with tarantino's love for the classic hong kong films of the 70s. If you want action, this is your film. This entire film has some of the best fight sequences that I have seen in many films from the begining to the end. You get everything from functional fights(the vernita green fight) to massive samurai sword battles with many opponents and with just one opponent. The thing is, that seems to be the main focus of this part of the Kill Bill story.

We don't get much background on the barrage of characters that we come across. We are given the reason for the Bride's wanton destruction, but given as little back story as possible. We have David Carradine(as bill) in this omni-present like situtation kind of like the claw in the Inspector Gadjet series. We come across all of these characters, but yet, Tarantino decides to only give us real background on O-Ren Ishii and Gogo Yubari, and only with O-ren do we really connect with the character. We aren't given a reason for why Bill went after the Bride and why Elle Driver seems to have a massive disdain for the Bride. We also know as little as is neccessary for why the Bride goes on her rampage of revenge, and in some ways this bothers me, and I hope that it gets answered in Vol. 2.

I would like to talk about a message that gets sent in this film though. We are shown true Female empowerment. All of the women in this film are very pretty, but at the same time are some of the most dangerous people that walk the earth. This espeically goes for O-ren. We get her backstory through a great anime sequence that I think was done by the people that did Akira. She is a very interesting figure to say the least. Her life, since she was a child, is one of hell-bent revenge. Revenge and death become such a motive in her that she becomes a top assasin and ends up becoming the head of the Yakuza in Tokyo. What really intrigues me is that she is very delicate and pretty, but yet, she is one that is not to be triffled with at all. In some ways she is a conundrum and would be worthy of a film that is just about this character alone, she is that intriguging. It is very easy to misjudge her and in that misjudgement is your fatal flaw.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable film. It keeps you going from the begining and is non-stop, but there are soo many holes to fill that there is just something lacking in the end. You go into this knowing that it is a two part series, but at the same time, I'm not used to Quentin Tarantino leaving this much up in the air and leaving out some very key plot points, which brings down the film for me in some ways. I'd like to know more about Elle Driver and Hanso Hattori as they come across as characters that I would like to see delved into much more.

Overall: 3.5
watchability: this is one to watch with friends and on your own, but it isn't really one that you can watch with a significant other. The action and story engorsses you, but it really leaves you wanting to see Vol. 2, but it does leave you asking some very open-ended questions

RATINGS (out of 5):
0 - This is a complete waste of time, and you will regret wasting it
1 - don't bother unless no other options at all
2 - okay for a single watch, if you've got time
3 - Definite watch if you get a chance
4 - See it very soon, at least once before you die
5 - See it immediately, no excuses

Also really liked this movie... especially fight scenes. It was sweet how they started the movie with the Vernita Green fight.... set the scene for a good action movie. I also agree about the holes... it left too much info out and forced you to watch it again before you went to see #2.

I'd like to see this review revamped because unless I misread/missed something your review was done before vol2 came out. IMHO you have to review the two movies as duo.

well to clarify it's fine to have a review on the single picture but I'd like to see your vol1, vol2 and (as a whole) reviews in one space

I did this review back in jan. I did the review as if I hadn't seen vol.2(though I had seen it three times in teh theaters). I'll put up my vol2 review in a few days. Doing a review as if I had seen Vol2 kinda defeats teh purpose of reviewing a film

I didn't necessarily mean to delete this one just to append. reading problems you had with vol1 now that you have seen vol2 deats the purpose of seeing vol2! to be serious, now that you've seen vol2 this should change how you feel about vol1. it'd be nice to see your thoughts on that

i saw vol2 before I wrote the review, but I took myself out of it and wrote the review pretending that I hadn't seen vol2. yes in ways they should be reviewed as one film, but that wasn't how they were released and I'm taking each film on its own merits. Lets please though just talk about the film itself and try not to bring vol2 into the subject until it has its own thread

ok so some of the reasons you feel brings down the film for you (at least a little bit) are some of the same reasons why I like this film.

like you said we go into it knowing there is a second part to follow. I like having these questions at the end of the movie knowing that they will get answered in the follow up. I find the unknown to be fascinating.

I agree that I'd like to know more about Hattori Hanzo. However, I think to do the character justice he really needs his own film. It might be fun to do it in a Red Violin kind of way (minus the hundreds of years) where you follow the story of some of his swords

My understanding is that he wanted it as one movie, but couldn't get the backing for such a long movie. So he was forced into making it two. So, in a way you could view it as one movie.

Very much like Hong Kong movie...low on story big on action.