Kill Bill Vol. 1

This movie is nothing more than a pure, concentrated exercise in style. It feels like Tarantino is just trying to exorcise all those lingering demons from the nineties out of his system.

So, I was rewatching the put samurai thing yesterday. Tarantino goes with a woman as the samurai—you know, a ninja, an avenger, whatever—and Jarmusch goes with a Black guy. But what Tarantino totally missed out on was:

A dog, some pigeons, a best friend who's a Frenchman he can't quite wrap his head around, a Lexus that the ninja drives, a kid locked in his apartment by his parents that even the mob can't touch, or even just a little girl the samurai bickers with about whether or not he actually has friends...

That's where the real imagination lives. It’s that whole samurai world—it's like a total fairy tale. Like that guy building a boat on his balcony his entire life, or that Indian guy who shouts "Stupid White man" when the mob kills a pigeon, or those mobsters in sweaters getting winded after climbing three flights of stairs, or Ghost Dog just blending into the sidewalk where nobody even notices him walking by...

Back when Tarantino was filming Pulp Fiction, he actually had vision. That's why I say he must have been dreaming up details for at least ten years to get Pulp looking the way it did.

But this? This is just a fun movie. Tarantino just made a fun movie. End of story.

Nobody even thought to bring up Ronin. And that's a movie about samurai, too.

dustyscout53 said:When Tarantino was filming Pulp Fiction, he had real vision. That’s why I maintain he spent at least ten years dreaming up all those details in Pulp Fiction.

And what do we have here now? An entertaining movie. Tarantino made an entertaining movie. End of story.

Oh, listen to that—now suddenly everything depends on expectations. Honestly, I don't know what you people expect from Tarantino, and when I ask myself that, I'm being serious rather than sarcastic. I wasn't sitting there expecting "Tarantino"—mostly because I have no clue what one is even supposed to expect from him—but I was looking for a fun, bizarre action flick that would stand out from the usual mediocre action trash served up in theaters. And that is exactly what I got. It was the kind of action movie my friends and I would come up with during a total laugh when the power goes out at our cabin and we're stuck without a TV. This might sound like I'm trying to downplay the film, but the truth is quite the opposite: I genuinely love movies that allow me to sink into the illusion that the screenwriter and I actually think alike and arrive at similar creative solutions.
As for what Tarantino really intended to achieve with this film, that's just a matter of passing interest for me.

People say it’s your second work that actually defines you as an artist. Well, Tarantino hasn't even dropped his second masterpiece yet.
Charlie's Angels II is a blast, and Kill Bill is fun too. But honestly, looking at this thread, the first seven pages seem to be nothing but a giant love letter to Kill Bill. So why didn't Full Throttle get seven pages of hype? Probably because it lacks that specific "designer touch"—if you ask Douglas Phillips4.
I’m not really a fan of those "Tarantino outdid himself" takes. If he keeps up that pace, he’ll be filming Four Rooms in a couple of years. 😁 😁

dustyscout53 said:They say it’s the second work that truly defines an author’s greatness. Tarantino hasn't even delivered his second masterpiece yet.
Charlie's Angels was a fun enough movie. Kill Bill is fun too. It seems to me that the first seven pages of this thread have been nothing but a hymn to Kill Bill. Why hasn't Full Throttle received seven pages of praise? Because it lacks that distinct designer signature, or so Douglas Phillips4 would argue.

In the original thread where I copied this text from, someone commented that they loved having Lucy Liu in the cast because, combined with that general 1970s vibe and the fact that the leads are all women, it turns Kill Bill into an episode of Charlie's Angels that went straight to hell.
To put it plainly: we don't have seven pages of discussion on Charlie's Angels because there isn't a woman in that film stabbing a guy in the junk with a wakizashi, spraying twenty-five quadrillion hectoliters of blood everywhere, and then having Uma Thruman OFF die off-screen while coldly asking, "See what I mean?". If Charlie's Angels had been *that* kind of movie, I'd probably write seven pages myself and harass people into watching it.
Look, Charlie's Angels was entertaining enough, but Kill Bill is like their older sister who joined the S.E.A.L.s, became addicted to performance-enhancing drugs, and is now just absolutely tripping.

There’s no theory to it—I'm currently catching up on the previous pages—but I just have to say, I watched it on DVD expecting nothing but mindless action and lots of gore... but man, when QT makes a movie, it actually turns out to be a real FILM. Seriously, hats off to him; I'm genuinely surprised and can't wait for volume 2...

Me too. 👋

Does anyone know where I can pick up a yellow tracksuit like that?

Honestly, that was one of the most boring movies I've sat through in a long time... and I actually stuck it out until the very end, just holding onto this tiny shred of hope that something, anything, would finally grab my attention, but as it went on, it just felt more and more like a chore, and I was genuinely relieved when the credits finally rolled. What a total snooze fest! I’m definitely skipping any sequel unless I happen to read somewhere that it’s a complete 180 from this first one or whatever.
Usually, I’d just bail on stuff like this after maybe 15 or 20 minutes, but I pushed through this whole thing solely out of respect for the director, just hoping against hope that things would turn around... not that I want to sound like a broken record here, but basically👎

I can only say that this movie is absolute garbage, just a complete and utter disappointment when it comes to the director; I feel like maybe only Americans would fall for this thinking it’s some kind of deep, dark masterpiece... whereas over there, they basically spit on Gothik (not that I'm complaining, but honestly, Kill Bill is twice as much of a disaster as Gothik)... 🙂

... you're probably not going to believe this, but honestly, you can find her all over Florida, and of course, it’s always accompanied by some massive ad for Kill Bill. I’m telling you, Americans just fall for those kinds of spikes....🙄 🙂 🙄 😉

dustyscout53 said:So what’s the deal now? It's a fun movie. Tarantino made a fun movie. End of story.

Nobody even brought up Ronin. And that's literally a movie about samurai.

Look at this clown.🙄, you clearly have no clue that Kill Bill was already being cooked up before they even started filming Jackie Brown.

Finally got around to watching the movie. It’s watchable, I guess, but nothing to write home about.
A few scenes are just irritatingly stupid and naive. For instance, right at the start when they're fighting, the Black girl grabs the box of cereal, shoots, and misses...😲 I mean... honestly, the movie should have ended right there with our Ume being carried out. Then she just stands there, all withered, badgering the medic...
And those sword fighting scenes? Way too long. Just dragged on forever.

Melissa Cruz2 said:I finally watched the movie. It was watchable, but nothing to write home about.
A few scenes feel irritatingly stupid and naive. For instance, that part at the beginning where the thugs are fighting and the Black woman grabs the box of cereal—it’s just...😲 I honestly think the movie should have ended right there with our heroine being taken out. Instead, we get her, all withered and broken, slamming into the medic at the door...

Good God, I bet you're one of those Klingon types who actually believes they invented the saying that revenge is a dish best served cold! Sweet zombie Jesus! 😲 😲

...and she stole it

Melissa Cruz2 said:I finally watched the movie. It was watchable, but nothing impressive.
A few scenes are irritatingly stupid and naive. For instance, at the beginning when they're fighting, the Black woman grabs the cereal box—it’s just bad and flawed.😲 In my opinion... the movie should have ended right there with our Ume being taken out. Instead, she's all atrophied and bashing through doors at a medic.
And the sword fighting scenes go on forever.

I had a similar thought regarding the Black woman, but I just shrugged it off with a "Heh." If I were the director of this film, regardless of what genre we're dealing with, I would attempt to minimize illogicalities as much as humanly possible. However, I stand by the idea that in 'Kill Bill', those details aren't the point.
I almost don't care that Tarantino references this or copies that in one way or another. Tarantino has constructed his own cinematic universe within the film itself.
Now, let me explain why 'Kill Bill' is a great film to me. In both the logical and illogical scenes, he succeeds in breathing life into the experience, making me feel like I'm watching something truly special. That, in my view, is the greatest value a film can possess. I can watch a movie with a perfectly written script, zero plot holes, flawless technical execution, and great acting from a solid cast, but if I don't feel it in my bones, it won't be any better than, say, 'Kill Bill.' That ability to reach you in your bones is, to me, the primal talent a great director must possess.
Regardless of what casualotter21 meant by saying he wasn't trying to disparage the film, 'Kill Bill' sits far, far above mere entertainment or mindless fun. I can't think of a single pure action, martial arts, or "just for kicks" movie that even comes close to the quality level of 'Kill Bill.' To me, 'Charlie's Angels II' feels bland no matter how you approach it, and as I mentioned a page ago, even a solid flick like 'from dusk till dawn' is at least two classes below 'Kill Bill.'
So, if you didn't feel like reading my sermon, the point is: the bones. This film has them, whereas many more "logical" films lack them or have much more brittle ones.

Honestly, I’d take the original Japanese trash over this stylistic exercise any day. Tarantino sucked a long time ago.

Watched it for the first time yesterday. Honestly? Disappointing. The first half—and yeah, I haven't seen the first volume of the two-part thing—is actually decent. It’s promising. There's some over-the-top blood, sure, but overall it works. Then everything just falls apart. That idiotic brawl with 100 Japanese men completely tanked the movie. It’s just a damn rip-off of The Matrix and makes zero sense; it isn't some tribute to Japan, samurai, or martial arts. Pulp Fiction was the gold standard. Jackie Brown was the gold standard. But now I see that Tarantino can't make a watchable movie without S. L. Jackson. Kill Bill gets a thumbs down from me. 👎 From here on out, I'm only trusting my own gut, not those critics and distributors who declare something a masterpiece before the cameras even start rolling.

I've already seen both Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2, and honestly, I can tell you the movie is absolutely perfect. In fact, I’d go as far as saying Vol 2 is actually better than Vol 1, and I know plenty of other people who have seen it feel the exact same way.🙂

dustyscout53 said:People say it’s the second masterpiece that defines an artist. Tarantino hasn't even delivered his second one yet.
Look, Charlie's Angels II is a fun flick. Kill Bill is fun too. But honestly, it feels like the first seven pages of this thread are just one big hype session for Kill Bill. So why didn't Full Throttle get seven pages of praise? Probably because it lacks that "signature touch"—or at least that's what Douglas Phillips4 would tell ya.
I’m just not a fan of those "Tarantino outdid himself" takes. If he keeps trying to outdo himself like this, he'll be filming Four Rooms in a couple of years. 😁 😁

Man, I thought I dropped a gem there. Hey, casualotter21, I see you replied, but you're stuck on Full Throttle—which I only brought up in passing, anyway.

I'm still waiting for Tarantino's second real act, but it looks like you guys already found it. Honestly, I envy you if that's how you feel... because I definitely don't. 😎 😎

I watched the second part too—it’s a complete departure from Vol. 1.

There aren't many massive brawl scenes—actually, none at all—and instead, there's a much heavier emphasis on character development, which is honestly phenomenal. I don't want to drop any spoilers, but I have to say, QT showed just how much atmosphere you can build using nothing but sound design.

There are a few scenes that are just too good; you find out Mallik's real name, how Ell driver lost her eye, and a few other little details. The dialogue is sharper, though he experiments much less with the visuals (there are no cartoons here).

My big gripe, though, is the ending—every Tarantino movie usually has a brilliant finale, but here it felt rushed, clumsy, and cheap. It was totally disappointing. That's exactly why I prefer the first part; it's almost as if he didn't know how to wrap things up, so he just cut it short without trying to get too philosophical.

The movie is worth seeing, especially for those who complained that the first one had way too much violence, blood, and guts.

I actually remember feeling bad because I listened to some pretty mindless comments from people saying Kill Bill Vol 1 wasn't anything special and they wouldn't miss out if they skipped it. Now, I know those takes were totally pointless.
Since I've been a bit of a subpar cinephile lately—constantly lagging behind on new releases because I just don't have the time (does anyone have some extra? 😁)—
I had intended to watch it eventually, but I kept putting it off.

I finally sat down last night. I'm not exactly a huge Tarantino fan (I say that all the time, I guess), and up until yesterday, Reservoir Dogs was pretty much my number one.

I didn't see it on the big screen like people brag about; I watched it on DVD (thankfully in a decent hi-fi setup), and honestly? I was blown away.🙏

I agree with everything Mark Nelson17 wrote in the opening post.
Everything.

There is such an incredible sensibility in how he mixes legendary milestone films and genres together. He even tailored the soundtrack perfectly: you've got Ennio Morricone, Nancy Sinatra, and those old tracks from the 80s. It’s phenomenal.
The vibe of the characters and the dialogue... it's just perfect.

And I won't even get started on the cinematography, which is actually a hobby of mine.

I also thought that segment where they throw in the comic book animation was awesome. That animation was killer.

So, I'm really looking forward to Kill Bill 2. If it stays at this level, it’ll be great.

👍