Tarantino Week - Kill Bill (2003/2004)
Hey guys, Chuck here. After the success of Pulp Fiction in 1994, Quentin Tarantino would go on to direct an episode of the television series ER, write and star in the Robert Rodriguez directed vampire flick From Dusk til Dawn, as well as write and direct Jackie Brown, an adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch. However, it wouldn't be until 2003 when we would see a completely original story by Tarantino, which would combine elements of several genres of film, and with a story so long and complex, the film would be split into two. So today, as part of Tarantino Week, we'll be taking a look at Kill Bill.
Volume 1 starts off with The Bride, who is shot in the head by her former boss Bill. The Bride, it turns out, was a member of a group of assassins called The Deadly Vipers, and her code name was Black Mamba. However, she left the squad without a word, and Bill, their leader, wasn't thrilled. After tracing her to a church in El Paso, Texas, Bill and the Deadly Vipers kill everyone in the church, but leaving the Bride comatose for quite some time. When the Bride finally wakes up, she has only one goal: kill Bill and the rest of the Deadly Vipers. We see the Bride take down Deadly Viper Vernita Green, at her home in Pasadena, leaving Vernita's daughter Nikki behind, acknowledging that Nikki may seek revenge herself in the future. We then flash back to the Bride waking up in the hospital in Texas, leaving on her quest for revenge.
The Bride's journey starts off in Japan, where she targets Deadly Viper O-Ren Ishii. O-Ren is a half-Chinese, half-Japanese woman born on an American Army Base, who went on to become one of Japan's finest assassins, and after her time in the Deadly Vipers, she would become a major figue in the Japanese criminal underworld. Among O-Ren's associates are: secretary Sofie Fatale, bodyguard Gogo Yubari, and Johnny Mo, the leader of the Crazy 88. Before the confrontation with O-Ren and her followers, the Bride goes to Okinawa to acquire a katana made by the legendary Hattori Hanzo, who in spite of making a vow never to make another sword, makes her a new one for her quest against Bill and the Deadly Vipers. After her sword is ready, the Bride heads for Tokyo, where she confronts O-Ren at the House of Blue Leaves. The Bride cuts through all of the Crazy 88, kills Gogo, and engages O-Ren in a one-on-one sword fight. After O-Rens defeat, the Bride interrogates Sofie for the locations of the other Deadly Vipers, which includes Vernita. In the hospital, Bill confronts Sofie, and learns of what happened, ending Volume 1.
Volume 2 starts off with the Bride, at a wedding rehearsal, being confronted by Bill. Bill discovers that the Bride is pregnant, and is getting married to record store owner Tommy Plympton. Bill, after meeting Tommy, calls the Deadly Vipers into the chapel, killing everyone except the Bride. Some time passes, and we see Bill meet up with his brother Budd, another Deadly Viper. Budd isn't worried, and tells Bill that he doesn't run from guilt. After his work shift, Budd returns to his trailer, and prepares for an attack by the Bride. Budd gets the drop on her, however, and shoots her in the chest with a double-barrel filled with rock salt. Budd takes her to a local cemetery, puts her in a wooden box with a flashlight, and buries her alive for breaking Bill's heart. We then flash back to much earlier, as the Bride is in China, being told the legend of martial arts master Pai Mei, who has patented a fatal move called the "five point palm exploding heart technique." The Bride spends the next several months training under Pai Mei, until she becomes the lethal killer she would become known for being.
Cutting back to the cemetery, the Bride escapes from the box, and emerges from the grave she was buried in, heading back to find Budd. Budd, meanwhile is meeting with another of the Deadly Vipers: Elle Driver. Elle ends up killing Budd using an actual black mamba snake. It is during a phone call that Elle has with Bill, we learn the Bride's real name: Beatrix Kiddo. Beatrix arrives, and after learning how Elle lost an eye (Pai Mei plucked it out after she called him a miserable old fool), and that Elle killed Pai Mei. Beatrix then plucks Elle's other eye out, leaving her to die in Budd's trailer.
Some time later, Beatrix meets with Esteban Vihaio in Mexico. Esteban is a father figure to Bill, and tells Beatrix where to find Bill. Beatrix goes to confront Bill, but arrives to an ultimate shock: her daughter is alive, and was being raised by Bill. After spending the evening with her daughter, B.B, Beatrix has a chat with Bill, revealing that, during her last job, she learned that she was pregnant, and couldn't raise a child and be an assassin at the same time. Not only that, but she didn't want Bill to claim the child, despite him being the father. Beatrix kills Bill using the five point palm exploding heart technique, which she learned from Pai Mei. Bill takes five steps and falls to the ground. With Bill finally dead, the movie ends with Beatrix and B.B. leaving for a new life.
Kill Bill is considered one of Tarantino's best. With a massive cast that includes Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, and icons like Sonny Chiba, Michael Parks, Gordon Liu (no relation to Lucy Liu), and many more, the movie has a lot of incredible talent on screen. With homages to martial arts films, westerns, anime, and so forth, It's no wonder why many Tarantino fans love Kill Bill. Many fans have repeatedly asked for a Kill Bill Volume 3, and Tarantino has discussed the idea of making one, but we'll see if it happens. Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, however, are fantastic to watch, and to be viewed as a single film. I definitely enjoyed the film quite a bit, and I give Kill Bill a rating of 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. Tune in tomorrow as we head to World War II, as we continue Tarantino Week with Inglourious Basterds.
Volume 1 starts off with The Bride, who is shot in the head by her former boss Bill. The Bride, it turns out, was a member of a group of assassins called The Deadly Vipers, and her code name was Black Mamba. However, she left the squad without a word, and Bill, their leader, wasn't thrilled. After tracing her to a church in El Paso, Texas, Bill and the Deadly Vipers kill everyone in the church, but leaving the Bride comatose for quite some time. When the Bride finally wakes up, she has only one goal: kill Bill and the rest of the Deadly Vipers. We see the Bride take down Deadly Viper Vernita Green, at her home in Pasadena, leaving Vernita's daughter Nikki behind, acknowledging that Nikki may seek revenge herself in the future. We then flash back to the Bride waking up in the hospital in Texas, leaving on her quest for revenge.
The Bride's journey starts off in Japan, where she targets Deadly Viper O-Ren Ishii. O-Ren is a half-Chinese, half-Japanese woman born on an American Army Base, who went on to become one of Japan's finest assassins, and after her time in the Deadly Vipers, she would become a major figue in the Japanese criminal underworld. Among O-Ren's associates are: secretary Sofie Fatale, bodyguard Gogo Yubari, and Johnny Mo, the leader of the Crazy 88. Before the confrontation with O-Ren and her followers, the Bride goes to Okinawa to acquire a katana made by the legendary Hattori Hanzo, who in spite of making a vow never to make another sword, makes her a new one for her quest against Bill and the Deadly Vipers. After her sword is ready, the Bride heads for Tokyo, where she confronts O-Ren at the House of Blue Leaves. The Bride cuts through all of the Crazy 88, kills Gogo, and engages O-Ren in a one-on-one sword fight. After O-Rens defeat, the Bride interrogates Sofie for the locations of the other Deadly Vipers, which includes Vernita. In the hospital, Bill confronts Sofie, and learns of what happened, ending Volume 1.
Volume 2 starts off with the Bride, at a wedding rehearsal, being confronted by Bill. Bill discovers that the Bride is pregnant, and is getting married to record store owner Tommy Plympton. Bill, after meeting Tommy, calls the Deadly Vipers into the chapel, killing everyone except the Bride. Some time passes, and we see Bill meet up with his brother Budd, another Deadly Viper. Budd isn't worried, and tells Bill that he doesn't run from guilt. After his work shift, Budd returns to his trailer, and prepares for an attack by the Bride. Budd gets the drop on her, however, and shoots her in the chest with a double-barrel filled with rock salt. Budd takes her to a local cemetery, puts her in a wooden box with a flashlight, and buries her alive for breaking Bill's heart. We then flash back to much earlier, as the Bride is in China, being told the legend of martial arts master Pai Mei, who has patented a fatal move called the "five point palm exploding heart technique." The Bride spends the next several months training under Pai Mei, until she becomes the lethal killer she would become known for being.
Cutting back to the cemetery, the Bride escapes from the box, and emerges from the grave she was buried in, heading back to find Budd. Budd, meanwhile is meeting with another of the Deadly Vipers: Elle Driver. Elle ends up killing Budd using an actual black mamba snake. It is during a phone call that Elle has with Bill, we learn the Bride's real name: Beatrix Kiddo. Beatrix arrives, and after learning how Elle lost an eye (Pai Mei plucked it out after she called him a miserable old fool), and that Elle killed Pai Mei. Beatrix then plucks Elle's other eye out, leaving her to die in Budd's trailer.
Some time later, Beatrix meets with Esteban Vihaio in Mexico. Esteban is a father figure to Bill, and tells Beatrix where to find Bill. Beatrix goes to confront Bill, but arrives to an ultimate shock: her daughter is alive, and was being raised by Bill. After spending the evening with her daughter, B.B, Beatrix has a chat with Bill, revealing that, during her last job, she learned that she was pregnant, and couldn't raise a child and be an assassin at the same time. Not only that, but she didn't want Bill to claim the child, despite him being the father. Beatrix kills Bill using the five point palm exploding heart technique, which she learned from Pai Mei. Bill takes five steps and falls to the ground. With Bill finally dead, the movie ends with Beatrix and B.B. leaving for a new life.
Kill Bill is considered one of Tarantino's best. With a massive cast that includes Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, and icons like Sonny Chiba, Michael Parks, Gordon Liu (no relation to Lucy Liu), and many more, the movie has a lot of incredible talent on screen. With homages to martial arts films, westerns, anime, and so forth, It's no wonder why many Tarantino fans love Kill Bill. Many fans have repeatedly asked for a Kill Bill Volume 3, and Tarantino has discussed the idea of making one, but we'll see if it happens. Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2, however, are fantastic to watch, and to be viewed as a single film. I definitely enjoyed the film quite a bit, and I give Kill Bill a rating of 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. Tune in tomorrow as we head to World War II, as we continue Tarantino Week with Inglourious Basterds.
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