Kill Bill Vol. 2

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) ***** Well, I guess I fucked up again, but more on that later. Just got back from seeing KILL BILL VOL. 2 and I've been dying to see it ever since I saw the first volume, which is one of my all-time favorite films. I'm pleased to say that Roger Ebert is correct- the second volume is so much better than the first. That's not to say the first volume is bad, mind you. But there were sequences in volume two that just stood out and made for boatloads of enjoyment.

The story continues, as the film picks up where the last left off. Essentially, they are both the same movie, but split into two parts. However, volume two starts off with the Massacre at Two Pines, where Uma and her husband-to-be (not to mention a few of their friends) are "murdered." Well, her fiancee is actually dead, except she isn't. But you already knew that.

I'm gonna save all the mumbo-jumbo so that you can go in fresh, as I did. That's one reason why I enjoyed the first volume so much, and why I loved this one a lot more. I knew practically nothing about it, besides the fact that she would finish off the rest of the assassins on her list, and finally get to "kill Bill." I had also heard that this was going to be more like a spaghetti western than an Asian martial arts flick, and while there are certainly some western aspects in the film, I didn't feel it strayed too far from the tone of the first film.

Everything about this film is perfect, but then again the same could be said about the first volume. There's a lot more characterization in this one; more dialogue scenes so that you get to know the characters better. However, this is not a problem. Tarantino is a superb craftsman when it comes to dialogue, and it all comes out to be entertaining in the end (particularly David Carradine's life and death speech). And the best part of it is, it doesn't detract from the fighting scenes. There are still plenty to go around for those of you who only want to see this one because of the action in the first film.

Tarantino's direction is top-notch here, even more so than the first volume. He makes great use of black and white photography and tricky camera angles. While the film is two hours and eight minutes long, it doesn't feel that way because the pace is so fast. There are grand sequences in this masterpiece, such as a flashback where The Bride learns the tricks of the trade from a master martial artist and a moment where she is buried alive deep within the ground, using the tricks she learned to escape. Everything comes together in this film, and I seriously doubt there are any plot holes to be found. The transition from the first film to the next is very smooth, and I have a feeling that anyone who enjoyed volume one will almost certainly enjoy volume two. It couldn't be more magnificent, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. This is Tarantino at the top of his game, and for that I consider him a God. And yes, I know I sound like a drooling fanboy (which I was attempting to avoid but it's inevitable), but what do you expect? I am a fan of the genre just as much as he is, and the homages he pays throughout the film are absolutely ingenius. When I first saw the scene with the Bride being buried underground, I immediately recalled the scene in Lucio Fulci's CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD where Catriona MacColl is in the same situation (albeit different circumstances, but that's not important). And I suppose that is exactly what Tarantino had in mind- the homages are there for fans of the genre who will gladly eat them up.

Now, for the reason why I'm such a fuck-up. Blame the theater for having such large drinking options and damn my bladder for having to release itself at such an inappropriate moment. I was very upset when I just happened to notice, walking back to my seat, that I missed the whole purpose of these two films- the reason why they even exist. Yes folks, I missed the "killing of Bill." Laugh if you want to, because I deserve it. My friend who was sitting next to me told me, all the while laughing his ass off at my stupidity, what happened so I didn't really miss much in the scheme of things. But my point is, I missed the most important moment in the film. I'll just have to wait until it comes out on video to actually see it.

So there you have it, my thoughts on this brilliant, brilliant, brilliant work of art from the best director working in the business today. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and do it. And if you haven't seen the first volume yet, then drive down to Ballbuster and rent it out, then go and buy a ticket for the second volume. I promise that if you're even remotely interested, you'll eat the fucker right up.

[bwana the clown]

Originally Posted by RyanPC

Yes folks, I missed the "killing of Bill." Laugh if you want to, because I deserve it.

Sorry, dude. But that is pretty damn funny!!!!

[BloodMan]

This movie is so good. I love it. Will be seeing this more than once.

Originally Posted by Chris Mayo

Spoilers ahead:
I can't say I can agree with you Ryan. I loved the first film and while I really did enjoy vol. 2, it left me rather underwhelmed compared to the first installment. They are two completely different films. Vol. 2 is Tarantino back to what he knows best, but overall I didn't experience the excitement I felt from the first film. With Vol. 1 he explored new territory, and I thought he would continue this with vol. 2 but instead he went back to Tarantino basics. Now mind you, Tarantino anything is fantastic, but I just wanted to see more. I found by the end of the film, the pacing to be slow. Vol. 2 was predictable and there were no surprises. The film has some really interesting characters, but Tarantino never gave them enough character development. Some examples are Pai Mei, Elle Driver (Hanna), and Budd (Madsen). I mean I loved the screen time that Pai Mei had but it wasn't enough. His overthetop kung fu style was great but he should have been more. His characters potential was never explored enough. And the whole Elle Driver character was hardly delved into at all. It was a shame really. The fight with her and Uma was great, but like I said, more screentime for her would have been nice. Now onto Budd -- we saw a lot of him for his screen time, but jesus, what was the point of following him around at work in a long dragged out scene, seeing him work at a shitty strip club and getting fired. We already knew what type of character he was by his initial conversation with his brother Bill at his trailer. His character should have been explored more, but in a different way because IMO like I said, that whole sequence was pointless. On a side note it was cool that he never sold the sword.

That’s just some flaws I found in the film. I just wanted more of the characters. I didn’t necessarily want the film to be longer, I don’t know, I just wanted something different. I guess I was expecting this to be a non-stop thrill ride like vol. 1 was. I missed the anime this time around too
That’s my little bitch rant, but either way both films are great, it’s just the first is greater!

~ Chris

Yes, but if the film had more of Pai Mei, don’t you think Tarantino would have overdone it? Sure, the comedy was great, but overall I think it works best with minimal laughs. My friend and I were howling at certain spots, and while it was fun and all, I was expecting something more serious. I think if he had delved into the characters more, it would have been ever more over-the-top and would have hurt the film. I think it’s perfect the way it is, though. And I really liked the sharp contrast between the two films- one had tons of OTT gore and outstanding fight sequences, and the second didn’t have much fighting or blood at all. I don’t think this film would have worked at all if Tarantino had gone back to what he did in volume one. It would have just been more of the same.

I just got back from seeing Vol.2 and I loved it.I liked Vol.1 better but this was a very enjoyable continuation of the story.The fight with Elle had to be my favorite of the movie and the final outcome made me squirm a bit considering Uma was barefoot in that scene

[Shannafey]

I liked it a lot, but it was much slower than the first one, and incidently, I thought it was far more brutal. The violence in the first one was more comic!

[DVD Connoisseur]

Saw the movie this afternoon, in between a 3 hour exam and a friend's leaving do (it's been a loooooong day!).
Initial thoughts, great film but I echo Chris Mayo's sentiments - I felt the film was quite anticlimatic after Volume 1. Maybe it's the time I've spent between the films but I felt the tone was very different - I wonder what it would have been like to watch Volume 1 and Volume 2 as a single film.
RyanPC, you're spot on with the City of the Living Dead comparison. QT even refers to Lucio Fulci in the credits.
Word for the wise - watch this film right to the very end. There's a small treat in store for the patient viewer at the end of the titles!

Superb film, and not anticlimatic in the least... Tarantino has always been known to challenge cinematic conventions (example: RESERVOIR DOGS is a heist movie in which we don't actually see the heist) and I love the way he concludes KILL BILL VOLUME 2. In a way, the interaction that Beatrix and Bill have at the end is the climax, and the film is not really about the action but about the characters. I wouldn't have it any other way.