MOVIE - KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$ (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Uma Thurman (The Bride), David Carradine (Bill), Daryl Hannah (Elle Driver), Michael Madsen (Budd), Vivica A. Fox (Vernita Green), Lucy Liu (O-Ren Ishii), Sonny Chiba (Hattori Hanzo), Michael Jai White [Alburt (Da Moe)], Chia Hui Liu [Pai Mei (Crazy 88 Fighter)], Chiaki Kuriyama (Go Go Yubari), Julkie Dreyfus (Sofie Fatale) & Samuel L. Jackson (Organ Player).
DIRECTOR/WRITER - Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs & Jackie Brown)
Quentin Tarantino's 4th film, Kill Bill, may be an early sign that one of Hollywood's most talented young directors is succumbing to Daystrum's syndrome. Fans of the original Star Trek will understand this reference instantly. I'll explain this phenomena for those of you not familiar with the series.
Dr. Daystrum was a brilliant scientist who reached the pinnacle of his career at an early age. He then spent the rest of his life vainly struggling to achieve even greater success. This led to the development of the flawed M5 Multitronic (Auto pilot) System. M5 was supposed to be the ultimate extension of Daystrum's previous pioneering work that would not only make space safer for human beings but restore Dr. Daystrum to a state of glory. M5 didn't work as advertised due largely to the fact that Daystrum's need to repeat his earlier success blinded him to the flaws in his final product.
I know what your thinking...."I thought this was supposed to be a movie review".
It is.
"Well, get to the point then..."
O.K., the point is...
There are many similarities between Tarantino and Dr. Daystrum. In only his second film, Pulp Fiction, he produced such a startlingly expose of violent humanity (oxymoron?) and dark humour that he was hailed as the best director of his generation. His subsequent films, like Dr. Daystrum, will always be compared against his early brilliant masterpiece and inevitably come up a bit short.
The similarities between Tarantino and Daystrum don't end there. Kill Bill, like M5, is based upon the same themes that inspired Tarantino's previous success and is supposed to take the concept where no director has gone before. As Daystrum did before him Tarantino fails to recognize the inherent flaws in his latest creation.
The fundamental problem with Kill Bill is it's one-dimensional nature. The plot is simply 24/7 revenge. The Bride (Thurman) sole mission in life is to avenge those that wronged her. The beauty of the concept of Kill Bill is that it allows Tarantino to create five unique characters, for The Bride to seek retribution against, providing Tarantino with the opportunity to pay homage to past master's in the process. Admittedly, Tarantino succeeds in this regard and it's one of the reasons that the film is worth seeing. The trap Tarantino falls into is that these five parts of the story are essentially the same.
Vernita Green (Fox) is a tribute to the blaxploitation films of the 70's and Tarantino's own film Jackie Brown. Beyond the irony of Green being a domesticated assassin this chapter of the story simply involves revenge. The same can be said for the fight to the death between O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) and The Bride. There is precious little in the script to meaningfully differentiate the characters and there are at least three more chapters in this story that will repeat the identical theme. Kill Bill, like Intolerable Cruelty suffers from the singular nature of its premise.
There is further evidence that Tarantino is succumbing to Daystrum's Syndrome. Harvey Weinstein, the head of MiraMax, had to do his best Captain Kirk impression and convince Tarantino that his creation had become unmanageable and had to be altered before all hands (and the massive financial investment in the project) were lost. The changes made to the project include the drastic decision to divide the film into two volumes.
Tarantino is not in the advanced stages of Daystrum's Syndrome and has still managed to produce a very watchable film. Kill Bill is most noteworthy for two things. The first, referred to above, is the distinct thematic aspects of the chapters. Almost every scene is filled with remarkable visuals that speak the proverbial thousand words. From the "Pussy Wagon" to the virgin white snow that becomes a death bed Tarantino displays an uncanny ability to create scene-stealing backdrops that almost make you forget the film's other flaws.
Even here, though, Tarantino approaches the line between brilliance and ridicule. The Monty-Pythonian Black Knight bloodletting and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon gravity defying martial arts, present in the duel between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii's henchmen, aren't original and weren't taken seriously by the audience I watched the movie with. In this regard, Taratino could have learned something from and paid homage to The Rundown where the director resisted the temptation, for the most part, of infusing his action heroes with super human powers.
The second compelling aspect of Kill Bill is the performance of Thurman. There are few actors that could make the wriggling of a big toe so intense. She infuses the strongest character in the film with a spirit and edge that makes you want to watch despite the repetitive nature of her enterprise. This deadly bride is a victim as well and you'll find yourself cheering her on. That's quite a feat when you take a moment to contemplate it.
Kill Bill: Volume 1 is a brilliantly executed homage to the masters of film making by one of this generation's best directors. Despite its one dimensional 24/7 revenge story line I'm staying tuned for Volume 2.
Running time - 93 minutes
Check out my TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2003 & WORST MOVIES OF 2003 lists.
Alternative Reviews:
Roger Ebert's Review
Peter Travers / Rolling Stone Review
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews
Kill Bill: Volume 1 Official Web Site
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2005
David Schwartz.
Last update:
2/28/05; 1:47:54 AM.
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