A Bit of the Old Ultra-Violence
Kill Bill Marks Tarantino's Bloody Return

Quentin Tarantino is probably best known for the violence depicted in his films. Fans remember the shocking gunplay in Pulp Fiction, when Jules preached "great vengeance and furious anger" before shooting people. Those who have seen Reservoir Dogs probably can't hear The Steve Miller Band's "Stuck in the Middle" without recalling the "ear scene." It's Tarantino's stock and trade to blend '70s shtick with surreal scenes of blood and dark comedy. So, it should come as no surprise that Kill Bill Vol. 1, the fourth film by Tarantino, should once again blend his black humor with his crimson vision.

Of course, the obvious question is "Why Vol. 1?" According to Tarantino, when he devised the story behind Kill Bill Vol. 1, it was either as the first half of a long film, or the first film of two. When he pitched it to Miramax, they said they wanted two films rather than one long one. He worked on it, and found a way to end the first story with a cliff hanger (and it's a good one), hence Vol. 1.

Uma Thurman plays the "heroine" of the film, a woman on a mission to hunt down those who shot her and left her for dead on her wedding day. Hardly the innocent, "The Bride" (as she is known) was a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, a team of trained killers led by the mysterious "Bill".

In the beginning, "The Bride" turns her anger on Vernita Green (played by Vivica A. Fox) a former "Viper" who is now married to a doctor, with a daughter, and living in a house that looks like it belongs in a Mother Goose book. Needless to say, a fight ensues. Blood follows. This is not a wacky film about misunderstandings and working out past problems through negotiation. It's about revenge. It's about killing. Pure and simple.

Tarantino tells the story out of sequence, which is not unusual for him. The plot jumps between storylines and follows a logic all its own. He doesn't show all his cards up front, but part of the fun is discovering why things are the way they are. Don't fight it. Just go with the flow.

Just as Jackie Brown was influenced by Tarantino's love of '70s blaxploitation flicks, Kill Bill is steeped in the spaghetti westerns and martial arts films of the same decade. From the very beginning, as an opening banner announces the "Feature Presentation" with a '70s psychedelic light show and music, this is marked as a Tarantino film.

The fight scenes in Kill Bill are bloody and violent. This is not the graceful action of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is Tarantino, and when someone gets his head chopped off, the blood spurts out like a fountain. In fact, blood spurts out of everything... a lot. The violence in the fight scenes takes on a surreal over-the-edge quality, as if a stick of dynamite were somehow packed into a firecracker. In that respect, the fight scenes reflect the feel of Japanese anime, and one chapter of the film is completely animated.

As for style, there's nothing that marks a Tarantino film like the soundtrack. From the opening "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra to the spirited riff from "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" by Tomoyasu Hotei (the music in the film previews) this music rocks. Everything musical fits the film so perfectly that one can't imagine the film without it.

For all its dark humor and martial arts, however, the film does drag at times. There are moments when the story isn't moving forward, so it seems like an unwelcome detour. Overall, however, the plot is interesting, unique, and darkly comic.

Unfortunately, Tarantino fans will have to wait to see how "The Bride" deals with the rest of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and whether or not she finally confronts Bill. After waiting this long for a fourth Tarantino film, a few months doesn't seem like long to get number five. (Or would that be 4.2?) Kill Bill Vol. 2 will be out in February.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 110 min.