KILL BILL volume 1 and 2

On a spur of the moment decision, I decided to check these two movies out of the library and review them here, just because I can. Sir scribe-a-lot, I'm sure, will want to add his opinion at some point in the proceedings since he is a bigger Q.T. fan than I am.

Green's Sharp-edged Hattori Hanzo Sword Review:

After being gunned down and left for dead at her own wedding, spending four years in a coma and losing her unborn child in the process, The Bride aka Beatrix Kiddo aka Black Mamba (Uma Thurman) is out for revenge. Once a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, Kiddo decides to leave the squad and start a more normal life for her and her unborn child. But Bill (David Carradine), the leader of the assassins, doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit.

This is a tale of revenge, my friends. Simple and sweet revenge. One by one The Bride meets her former allies and takes them out, though not with out some challenges along the way. Volume two does have a happy ending, though. Yeah, I was surprised.

You really can't review volume one without reviewing volume two at the same time. Volume one is a great tribute to the Kung-Fu movies of the 1950's and 60's. Lots of fighting with katanas and lots of blood, guts and dismemberment, exaggerated for effect, of course. You get the basic story in volume one and more character development and more fleshing out of the story in volume two, which pays tribute in part to the Spaghetti Western. Each movie is laid out like chapters in a book, giving the story a linear type thread to follow. The music in each movie adds to the drama and excitement of the story we are being told.

Both movies are excellent in their own way. The cast is excellent and includes Thurman and Carradine, Lucy Liu, Sonnny Chiba, Gordon Liu, Michael Madsen, Darryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, Julie Dreyfus and others. Tarantino admits he challenged himself in directing the action in volume 1 and succeeds. It is apparent that he has a passion for the story. Neither volume is too long and each provides good pacing to the story.

I liked the "making of" documentaries on each of the Kill Bill DVDs, which gave some great and informative insight from some of the stars and from the big Q.T. himself, director Quentin Tarantino.

**** out of ***** for both films.