"An homage movie that doesn't take itself so seriously"
I was nervous about seeing Kill Bill, supposedly one of the most violent films—ever. The dread quickly disappeared when I realized that the violence is for the most part way over the top and somewhat cheesy. To say Kill Bill is gory or bloody does it no justice. The sheer gallons of faux blood makes me wish I’d invested in blood futures. But what does a Niagara of the sticky stuff get you?A lovely Uma Thurman who plays Black Mamba, previous member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad lead by Bill. The former Viper squad-mates turn on Black Mamba, tracking the bride down to her wedding and executing the whole party. Thurman survives, intent on avenging her murder, and that of her husband and unborn child.
The idea of a blood spattered ‘bride’ first prompted Tarantino and Thurman to generate the revenge tale. They worked on the story for years, producing a mix of genres and devices that would thrill any pop culture geek. The plot is not linear, of course. Would you expect any less? The carefully constructed leapfrogs keep the audience guessing, although in some cases you already know the outcome.
Tarantino’s flair for dialogue is a little tempered in Kill Bill. Its not that the dialogue is poor, to the contrary, for an action film its quite good. If you think of Kill Bill as a send-up the dialogue fits perfectly. Overly flashy dialogue would have detracted from the feel and made the film more self-indulgent than it actually is.
The most disturbing sequence in Kill Bill follows soon after our heroine awakes from a coma—a scene that makes you angry and sick. It has been a long time since I’ve felt so much anger in a movie. But it is pointedly that revulsion that carries the viewer exactly where the director needs you to be—totally invested in the story. Tarantino is smart because the most disgusting part is also the least violent. As the full implications dawn on you, you are prepared for the carnage ahead. It is interesting to contrast the totality of violence in Kill Bill with the relative calm of the scene. It makes you realize that often the things that are the most overtly violent are not the things that truly scar us.For all the violence, Kill Bill was fun. The action is intense, amusing, entertaining and absolutely well done. Kill Bill is the kind of movie that you can watch repeatedly to catch all of the foreshadowing and little things you couldn’t catch the first time. When was the last time you said that about any action movie? Tarantino set out to make a tribute to his pop-film heritage and certainly succeeded. I can’t wait to see Part II.
This film is available for download or online viewing at CinemaNow.com For more in the CinemaNow.com series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival series, click here.
User Comments
2/28/13
Ed
Blows. Couple hours of my life wasted.
11/10/11
matthew thompson dalldorf
What Josie said (I too am a huge JC fan!)
9/11/11
Captain00Kirk
My favorite Tarantino film! Great bloody, stylish fun! www.youtube.com/Captain00Kirk
6/27/11
DR
Slick, entertaining in parts. But cliché ridden and devoid of emotion or strong characters.
12/14/10
moose rapper
I liked this better when it was called 'Lady Snowblood.'
6/11/10
Flathead King
Shallow and self-indulgent trash from Tarantino.
8/04/09
art
WONDERFUL!,UMA IS A SABER_-WIEDLING BAD-ASS!
6/05/09
Dr.Lao
Well, that was goofy
3/17/09
Josie Cotton is a goddess
The whole point of this movie is to remind you of better films tha you could be watching.
12/20/08
PAUL SHORTT
STRUCTURALLY AND NARRATIVELY AMPUTATED 'REVENGE SOLVES EVERYTHING' NONSENSE
10/12/08
Samantha Pruitt
great film, so bloody and viloent, Uma is awesome!
9/26/08
Shaun Wallner
One of my favorite all time films.
7/09/08
Quigley
Well-made but almost instantly forgettable.
12/16/07
Jason
Blondie slices up black-haired oppressors with a samuri sword that handles like a laser swo
7/03/07
Jubei
It HAD to be the ultimate swordfigter movie but came up short.Could've been more stylish.
3/28/07
fools♫gold
Like Jackie Brown, proves tough to rate. I wish I gave Vol. 2 a 3/5.
2/01/07
Melissa Tokarczyk
I liked Volume 1 better than 2.
1/10/07
Matt
How many ways can you spell CRAP?
1/09/07
Drew Galletti
Part of my favorite series
1/08/07
Anthony Feor
It will go down in history
11/26/06
Jason of Essex
A disgraceful excuse for Tarantino to play out his sick mind. The amine saves it somewhat.
11/07/06
Drew
Loved these movies
10/30/06
AJ Muller
This flick is the shit; disagree and I'll cut all your limbs off with a Hattori Hanzo sword
9/12/06
Eden
Just a lot of fun. Shallow yeah, but how could anyone hate it?
8/28/06
R.W.Welch
Stylized revenge flick, ultra violent. Eventually wears thin.
8/26/06
james burke
It's too bad Tarantino peaked so early in his career. Fanboys will like it-no one else will
6/27/06
the bride
naruto?? you suck big fat gay cock. this movie rocks!!!
6/08/06
ES
It was good
5/31/06
Anthony G
Fantastic.
3/13/06
Roderick Cromar
Brilliant. Can't wait for director's cut. And the prequel.
1/16/06
Frank Rountree
Totally unbelievable story, but the way it is told keeps you watching, the action is great
1/10/06
Mike
Both are completely awesome
12/31/05
Ronin
a very uncanny movie
12/02/05
Naruto
Pretentious movie hailing violence. Tarantino should be banned
11/23/05
Sully
fucking fantastic!!!! too bad part 2 is worthless...
11/12/05
Jordan G.
This, no doubt, has to be one of the most brilliant movies i've seen. It is a must see!
11/08/05
Jonathon Holmes
fucking great
11/08/05
Bojan S
This is the movie that truly represent the art of film making.
11/08/05
Indrid Cold
You can list the flaws all day long, it's still far more entertaining than a typical movie.
10/20/05
a ninja
The best sound track in the history of cinema, it parallels action with a fluid grace
10/13/05
Wisamane
Stupid college Crack head junkie "Artistic" Bull shit, it was horrible!!
10/10/05
Agent Sands
One of the all-time great entertainments. Brilliantly filmed, great soundtrack.
10/05/05
Jesse Taylor
One of the best of 2003. Quentin Tarantino is a genius.
9/26/05
a. kurlovs
surprisingly dull and idiotically pretentious. only the soundtrack helps.
9/17/05
Jonathon Holmes
fucking great
9/14/05
Pinkline Jones
Tarantino watching too many Japanese cartoons about as original as a Bollywood movie.
8/25/05
Eden
Campy fun hugely enjoyable to watch. Some people take it too seriously tho
8/25/05
Anthony G
Great movie, she looks hot is some scenes, then not, wtf
8/22/05
ES
A revenge story with an old west feel coupled with eastern combat and comic violence
8/09/05
Maalstrom
Entertaining action with fun story
8/06/05
Zack
GREAT FILM!!!!
7/27/05
Naka
"Dumb"? What movie did you see? Intense, brilliant homage to grindhouse film.
7/14/05
Brandy Harrington
Good, but dumb.
7/09/05
Moctezuma
Silly Billy
7/07/05
Isaac Baranoff
Killer!
6/28/05
goobs
too stupid 4 words
6/25/05
Mr Fluffy
Gets better with age and having seen Vol 2. Not worth getting in a twist over though.
6/20/05
me
I bloody hated this POS, loved Pulp Fiction but this made me hate Tarantino
5/25/05
The shizz
Its not his best (pulp fiction), but it fucking rocks anyway
5/12/05
C Vega
great film amazing tarantino's best script to date
4/08/05
Jason Kreitzer
Fantastic, I loved this movie.
3/20/05
Natasha Theobald
with style to spare and an abundance of rich color and detail
2/19/05
april gupton
kick ass movie
2/18/05
dbx
badass
2/17/05
Kathleen4691
why do we put up with films that require watching a part II to understand the plot?
2/06/05
Tom Benton
I never dreamed this was possible; everything I ever dreamed of having in a film.
2/03/05
haha
Once again quentin pops a load on the competition. Good shit
2/02/05
Casey Becher
Love to see a good slasher movie with a woman in power. Go Uma!
2/01/05
april gupton
rocks
2/01/05
Christy Harris
Couldn't stand it, too many heads chopped off for me
2/01/05
bongeezer
Not enough blood...Just kidding... Excellent film
1/30/05
gina rabsatt
not that impressed to rush for II but it was okay
1/29/05
WILLIAM
WEIRD BUT GOOD
1/27/05
JesseL
Derivative from Lady Snowblood...but it rocked! Kung fu genre fans only.
1/16/05
Charlene Javier
Give us more, Quentin!
1/15/05
Hawkeye Pierce
MASTERPIECE both plot and severed arms are included, can't be wrong!!!
1/14/05
Barry Taylor
I thought it was a great movie, I don't understand why people are putting it down.
1/14/05
Tjalda L. Schiel
Gory, violent mess. I loved every minute of it.
1/13/05
Paul D
Kill Bill - a great kick ass movie!!
12/05/04
Kristina Williams
A violent, spectacular orgy that i wanna jump in on.
11/29/04
Samuel
fucking brilliantly done.
11/28/04
Monster W. Kung
A flaming, idiotic, laughable PIECE OF SHIT!
11/08/04
Florian
A brilliant movie full of diff film elements for anyone who appreciates real film language.
10/24/04
ODH
Fun flick. Good action sequences, comic book like story, lots of gore!!! Kewl!!!
10/15/04
dave
the gore is just to frieken awsome, tarantino has a fetish for feet and goriness
10/15/04
Don Eckert
Very strange, over the top movie but it somehow worked!
10/11/04
Rio Driver
Brilliantly Gory!
10/05/04
Josh Standlee
The Bride vs. The Crazy 88: Best scene ever!
9/07/04
Alex
Go Go was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8/26/04
Anthony G
DJ you can fucking gargle my balls you stupid jew, this movie owns
8/26/04
DJ
Wtf? This movie was stupid and phony. How can you people enjoy this crap?
8/25/04
Jessica
better than the second
8/17/04
Herolder
Entertaining, but way overrated
8/12/04
kc
super entertaining
8/11/04
f up
briliancy in a hard-core underground way, i luv it
8/08/04
Mike McGilvray
A true Tarentino fan would appreciate where he chose to go in this film.
8/05/04
Dean
Highly enjoyable
7/25/04
John Larson
What was this crap? This is a modern day Kung Fu revenge disaster of a film.
7/21/04
Kammy Jones
This is the perfect action film for all action lovers.
7/06/04
Daniel
the best Tarantino flick ever!
7/01/04
valerie hart
fantastic gut rush!!!great movie action packed gore and excitment cartoon scenes are great!
7/01/04
Piz
I thought it was over-hyped, and what's up with the cartoons??
6/21/04
Dick Logan
Very entertaining film. Much better than KB2.
6/19/04
J
Pure guts n' blood! **** out of 4
6/07/04
Ryan Clark
Not much substance as far as plot goes, but dialogue and direction are breathtaking.
6/06/04
Mitsaso
Hilariously amazing...!!!!
6/06/04
valerie hart
its a fantstic movie action packed with all the gore great music
6/04/04
dead next door
pretty cool cartoon violence
5/25/04
Pearce
Great movie. All fun.
5/23/04
Butterbean
Not Tarrantino's best. Action scenes were great, except for the stupid blood splattering.
5/22/04
Hal Galikakick
Brillant Film Making
5/21/04
Your mom
Anyone who hates this is a filthy zionist jew
5/16/04
Jean
disapointing...for a Tarantino. But let see vol. II...
5/15/04
LIAM JACKSON
brilliant movie. all revenge films should be like this
5/15/04
skye
all style, with little substance. and some of the goofiest dialogue in the history of film
5/14/04
Littlepurch
Average. I enjoyed it and fights were gr8 but it was too long and the gore was laughable!
5/12/04
mark stephsns
Shitload of action,violent as hell,but it is comic book looking violence done really well
5/12/04
Matthew King
Kill Bill Vol. 1 was a smart / awesome action movie, with great acting and cinematography.
5/06/04
Samantha orr
First time in a long time where I ddin't walk out of the theatre completely let down! GREAT
5/06/04
Ken
I loved it!
5/06/04
J.Peckerfoot
I can't stop watchin this film.it is stunning.lets stop slating stuff to be different!this
5/04/04
Ray Raspberry
This is an insult to Japanese film. Not a spaghetti western in the least.
5/04/04
Monster W. Kung
Meaningless, dim-witted, and utterly absurd. Very poor.
4/30/04
HorrorScribbler
Monty Python meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
4/28/04
4x4
Great movie! Spaghetti western themes with awesome chicks.
4/26/04
The man with the plan
Masterpiece......
4/25/04
Lesterwink23
Good, bloody action...but a little slow for my taste in some parts.
4/24/04
david greenidge
took me back 30 years to my intense sinophile days,thank you quentin
4/23/04
Jonni
Fantastic piece of artwork
4/22/04
Hydrian
Live action anime done right
4/21/04
M
Tarantino does it again! Fresh, Original Adult Fun!
4/20/04
tatum
One of the coolest flicks I've ever seen
4/19/04
Gobsmack
Brilliant, brillaint film, even for those who dont catch all the references.
4/18/04
gman
if you feel it lacks substance, see vol. 2 for the heart that beats all this blood! great..
4/17/04
BaztarD_101
love it, YA BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4/17/04
Michael Greenwaldt
Good, but not great. An overrated film.
4/17/04
Alex
Plot? What plot? It doesn't matter. This one you watch for the cinematics only.
4/17/04
American Slasher Goddess
Not horrible, but very overrated.
4/16/04
Phil M. Aficiando
Great production of an outrageous and pointless flick
4/15/04
alice
Enjoyed every bit of it
4/14/04
slayathon
I loved this film, hell it is violent but one hell of a ride
4/12/04
Chris
Sheer Brilliance
4/11/04
Wildcarde1
I hate QT and I still loved this film. But its an aquired taste, very unique filmaking styl
4/11/04
Caleb
i was shocked at first but when i left the theatre, i said to myself "THAT WAS AWESOME!"
3/24/04
Margie
even tho i laughed at how outrageous it was, I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!! (and great music)
3/20/04
Angie
Great Drama
3/20/04
MIKE CERNY
BEST MOVIE EVER CREATED
3/19/04
Cary Gordon
Fun, but had no real depth to it. If you like action and don't mind blood here you go.
3/18/04
Umbrella Corporation.
Tariteno's best flicks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3/17/04
Holly Beeman
I absolutely adore this film. It's a movie about revenge--nothing more, nothing less.
3/17/04
Alfred Guy
The pop culture, cartoon violence, I loved it!
3/16/04
alex
Tarantino is da best. Kill Bill rocked. Uma Thurman , I love that woman
3/10/04
jdogg
Wake up!! He's stealing from other directors!! What's so great about that? Schmucks!!!
2/27/04
Whatevr
You'll either love it or you'll hate it. Hopefully love it.
2/20/04
Agent Sands
I thought QT ran out of ideas, but he's far from that. Great action, soundtrack, & humor.
2/17/04
Igor
Waiting for part 2 to declare it as the best film of all time. This movie owns. Period
2/15/04
Angolmois
The worst of Tarantino's movies, but that's still a head above the rest of Hollywood trash.
2/07/04
king of cool
one of the greatest films of all time---amazing
1/27/04
axtion movie fan
great swordplay, and action suspense one of the best!!!!!!!
1/24/04
Alan
Quentin can do action.
1/22/04
Mohammad
Sucks
1/21/04
smartmusician
surprised at how GREAT the film was. Especially since this movie isn't my type of genre
1/10/04
andrew
I creamed my pants
1/05/04
Andy Bronson
great film
1/03/04
A F
Hate action films, yet strangly loved this film. Lucy Liu, perhaps? MMM....
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