There are two things I'm convinced that women will never understand. The first are the mechanics of peeing standing up. The second is the appeal of Quentin Tarantino flicks.
Tarantino movies have their own rhythm, their own beat, their own rules. He's basically created his own sub-genre. Tarantino movies are rarely told in chronological order, they're always violent, and the dialogue can only be described as Quentin-esque.
Reservoir Dogs is easily my favorite Tarantino movie, but the Kill Bill flicks (which have strangely fallen out of favor in the movie community in recent years) still represent my favorite cinematic revenge flick. Revenge flicks are easy to set up but difficult to pull off. You need a person who's been fucked over and then a means of gaining revenge on those who did the fucking. Still, the person seeking revenge must be sympathetic throughout the journey and, in the quest to slay monsters, avoid becoming a monster in the process.
Very few movies with female protagonists kick ass as much as Kill Bill, and there's a reason why it works. Uma Thurman is not that hot. That's important. I'm not sure why that's a rule, but it is. Hot chicks can be elements of lust in action movies, but they can't be action stars. It's too distracting. Uma Thurman is just modestly attractive enough not to allow her looks to detract from the rest of the movie.
Volume 1 is the superior of the two volumes, based mainly on the strength of the House of Blue Leaves action finale, a fight that is never matched in Volume 2 (which is a mistake I'll discuss in the next review). Quentin always tries a lot of innovative things in his flicks and some of them work and some of them don't. The nonlinear approach works especially well in this movie because we're fed pieces of the story slowly, keeping The Bride's true motivation and her relationship with Bill a mystery. The over-the-top gore and cheesy fight sound effects (an homage to kung-fu flicks of the 70s) works splendidly as well.
Three elements that don't work for me are the anime sequence (too out of place), O-Ren's ridiculously long backstory (unnecessary for the main narrative), and the mystery of The Bride's real name (the pay-off isn't big enough to make it matter).
Everything else, though, is gold. The black and white opening of a blood-stained Bride taking a shot to the head...perfect. The opening fight scene between The Bride and Vernita Green with the little girl showing up after her mother's death...love it. The Pussy Wagon? C'mon! And that Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves is one of modern cinema's great fight scenes (the music!). Over-the-top? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely. If there's one thing Quentin knows how to do, it's kill a mother fucker.
We'll be back with Volume 2 next time.
Why It's Awesome: One of the great all-time revenge flicks, containing one of the great action sequences of the oughts. This, along with the second volume, may be Quentin Tarantino's most complete cinematic offering. And who doesn't love to see a moderately attractive chick fuck Asians up?
Best Quote:
Hanzo: I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut.
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