Reviewed by Peter Veugelaers © 2004
- Who said they don't make 'em like they used to?

In Kill Bill Vol 2 it is more apparent than the predecessor Vol 1 that this second volume is deliberately or otherwise exploring Hitchcockian territory of the relationship between sex and love making and the possible dangers associated with that, as well as being a finely made parody of yesteryear’s kung fu movies, particularly effectively made when the two volumes are taken as whole, seen within the mind’s eye of the viewer.

Vol 1 was hardly subtle or sentimental. Martial arts action took place of precedence in the story, including plenty of blood letting to put off squeamish sensitivities. The story is set among the underworld of assassins where violence is normal although socially unacceptable. In writer-director Quentin Tarantino’s fantasy and fiction of the criminal milieu there is room for sympathetic characterisations of his female characters, a contrast to his predominantly male-hero-centred protagonists of his other films.

In Jackie Brown (1997) we have the strong female lead in the form of Pam Grier, a redoubtable African American movie icon from the 1970s. That was a comeback for her, like Pulp Fiction (1994) was a comeback for John Travolta. If Grier is a paternal mother figure in her role in Jackie Brown, then Uma Thurman, who got a Bafta nomination for this character earlier this year, is the younger and vulnerable mother figure who fights to get back what she lost when gunned down at her Texas wedding.

Refered to as The Bride (Thurman) in Vol 1 she has left her life of organised crime to pursue a normal life within everyday boundaries: to marry an average guy (who is not the father of her child) and work in a record store. She is pregnant, thus signifying her desire for new life and re-birth. At the start of Vol 2 there is the subtle association with her pregnancy to Bill (David Carradine) and the ensuing mayhem of shoot outs, shoot downs, and arrant revenge: men need to take responsibility for child support, and getting women "knocked up", as The Bride phrases it, has its dangers and responsibilities. This is seen when the female protagonist retaliates against Bill’s response to her marriage to another man, where Bill shoots The Bride. Like Hitchcock’s treatment of the subject, murder and sex can be unlikely bedfellows.

Tarantino is, of course, not in the same genre and category as Hitchcock, but he’s dealing with similar material here. It is exaggerated; the consequences of Bill’s actions and The Bride’s response to his actions are rather extreme. But when The Bride and Bill meet in the final sequence to accomplish her goal – to kill Bill - there is a beautifully staged bitter sweet reunion at Bill’s atmospheric contemporary home. The issue becomes that of The Bride’s broken heart. We, as the audience, get to share in her feelings as conveyed in Thurman’s sympathetic performance, shared with Carradine, who exudes presence. His scenes with Thurman are top notch, both capably carrying the importance and nuances of these moments, and the atypical Tarantino dialogue, with ease.

In The Bride’s journey we get to see Kill Bill’s soft spot for mothers and women. Additionally, the characters played wonderfully by Daryl Hannah (as Elle Driver, in something of a comeback for her) and Lucy Lui (in the first film) are also sympathetically sketched.

Vol 2 is fairly leisurely in pace with the occasional violent fight scene, albeit still engaging and holding interest. The Kill Bill series as a whole is a well balanced and contrasted story effectively mixing action, humour, characterisations, pathos, and background scenery from deserts to city nightlife, and all this with an effective non-linear narrative, Tarantino’s trademark. Technically it’s a winner.

According to imdb Tarantino’s next film is Inglorious Bastards reputedly set in World War II where anti-heroes face execution and through mercy are reprieved, but flung back into pressure cooker situations. It is this nuance that characterises Kill Bill – the corruption of innocence and purity, the establishment of a paradise lost, and the way into redemption. It’s like the final scene in Pulp Fiction.