Kill Bill V2 Opens Strong

Before I exuberantly word what a triumph the Kill Bill duo (and its characters) has become, I want to state that Vol. 2 never faltered. The only dissapointment that may have presented itself was indeed the fact that Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 were perhaps opposites. Moviegoers saw Vol. 1 and were caught off guard by Vol. 2.
Leaving the theater after Vol. 2, I overheard some chatter. A woman told her boyfriend that Vol. 2 was not what she expected. She assumed it would’ve been better. To that, I say that anyone going to the movies to see VOl. 1 all over again is simply ignorant. Tarantino stands by his filmography, and I don’t blame his desire for versatility — having a plethora of films that hit every genre and directing skill. Be that it may, Vol. 2 delivered something amazing that Vol. 1 did not, just as Vol. 1 delivered something that Vol. 2 lacked. The two can’t stand alone, after viewing both, it is required (for the peak of moviegoing experience) to gather thoughts on both, absorb all that The Bride has endured — bullet to the head, battle with Vernita Greene’s meat cleaver, a posse of bloodhungry yakuzas, Go-go (’nuff said), Oren and her mindless love for the kill, shotgunned in the chest with rock salt, beaten, buried alive, trained rigorously by martial master Pai Mei, battled in a trailer home, etc. Not to mention the emotional trauma — all which makes Uma’s character one bad mother.
If that isn’t enough to appreciate, the characters are. And all are different so the audience is sure to expect a different reaction from each enemy. Every enemy looks at death differently. Some kill to gain relief or perhaps a Hanzo sword, some kill to terminate their regret, some kill mindlessly because its all they know, and others just kill because they dont want to be killed. Whichever reaction, they all work, interlaced giving The Bride one hell of a time.
I enjoyed greatly how characters of Vol. 2 pulled a complete 180 on the audience and myself. Budd proved that his pitifulness may just be pitilessness. Pathetic, Bill’s brother’s life seemed way below average. Let’s face it, he came off as a total loser, a “shitty water” mopper. But when he began to speak after he pummelled the Bride with rock salt, I couldn’t believe my eyes, what mercilessness still hibernated deep down. After having buried the Bride, I thought back to this encounter with his ex-boss and imagined if the not so pathetic Budd would have offed him right then and there. Of course, thats not the point of the story. The point is that Tarantino blindsided me with Budd and I loved being jerked around! Another one, Elle, who we knew was full of evil in the first, lit up the screen with a powerhouse of repulsive emotion. With the snake, the killing of Pai Mei, the lying, the cheating, the raw vocalized hatred, we find she is what we all expected and so much more. Again, blindsided by brilliance. And lastly, Bill, who would’ve thought that this badmother actually turned out to be one good mother — literally. Taking care of young BB (Uma’s daughter), Bill showed the audience emotions no one ever knew existed in him. He cares. He savors relationships — with the Bride, Budd, Elle, BB, etc. There is heart in him afterall. Scarily convincing, Carradine wowed me with this performance. He appeared to me the kind that would kiss someone he loved before dismembering them. Truthfully and quite literally, Kill is Love.
Both movies has their strong points. Although 2 wasn’t nearly as vibrantly played out, it still packed quite an array of raw emotion to deliver to viewers. When moviegoers expect the unexpected, are caught off guard, take in characters’ emotions, feel for characters (claustrophobia), and even begin to rethink their hate for the bad guy, you know that you’ve been taken for a ride by the director. Tarantino delivered two stunning volumes and we should all be greatful that he is why we continue to go to the movies. Obviously HellBoy wasn’t behind that.
–Greg (Immersed in a Tarantino-esque world)