kill bill: vol. 1

as is typical of a quentin tarantino film, kill bill basks in its own excessiveness. the phrase that rang in my head while observing seemingly endless disembowelings, decapitations, and general carnage was the choreography of death.

there is a calm beauty to this film, certainly. i think wo ping's magic is stamped all over the place, accompanied by the often anachronistic (and yet somehow perfect) soundtrack that must include surf, country, funk and as many obscure references as possible. while this strange brew should be nothing more than an irritating, overwrought mess, it is not. tarantino's skill lies in the ability to taking what appear to be disparate elements and blending them to great ends.

the more i think about it, though, these elements should work together. samurai, spaghetti western, blaxploitation, and many other genre films centre on the theme of revenge. considering that this film is entirely about revenge, these different approaches brought together is unique and successful. it will also unfortunately be oft-copied in the years to come.

tarantino knows how to play upon our sensory intake well - unexpected gun-shots, vibrant colours, and long pauses to sustain dramatic tension. and the tarantino soundtrack in perfect step at all the right moments, which must almost be its own industry.

did i enjoy it? yeah. uma thurman is solid, given her cheesy dialogue and over the top character. then again, she didn't have a lot of range to express: anger, trepidation, pure fear. but she did it well.

the whole cast was great. david carradine is perfectly evil. daryl hannah is absurd. lucy liu is strong and terse. vivica fox is freaky. and sonny chiba is one funny guy. a man who wears many different belts, chiba has way too many dan in real life.

overall, this film is sure worth a go. my only warning would be to the squeamish, who can't bear the sight of vast geysers of blood and spurting noises (not that anyone should be accustomed to this). this is a revenge film that works because it is as singular in its focus as its main character is. while volume one is a yakuza/samurai fest, i'm guessing that volume two will focus on western elements. a gunslinger flick? i look forward to finding out.

{October 10, 2003 10:46 PM}