PLOT SUMMARY: Uma Thurman plays "Black Mamba," a deadly assassin, who is out to avenge a deadly massacre on her wedding day which left her comatose for 4 years. The film follows the first half of her exploits, in which she seeks out and hopes to destroy targets on her personal hit list, a group of beautiful women who were part of a squad of assassins, and their mysterious leader, a man named "Bill."

A LITTLE BACKSTORY, MY TAKE ON THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING "KILL BILL," AND WHY YOU MAY OR MAY NOT ENJOY IT
Tarantino fan that I am, when I first heard about "Kill Bill," I definitely did not want to see it. The trailers, which featured-- still in my opinion, the weakest scene of the film (Thurman and Fox duking it out)-- just didn't do it for me.

Then I started reading reviews of the film, and noticed an interesting pattern amongst movie reviews. People either really, really, really hated this film or really, really loved it. As soon as I saw all this, I said, "Okay-- I have to see this film now. This is one of those movies-- y'know, the one that's gonna change the face of American cinema and have people debating for years. So let's check it out and see what all the fuss is about."

Well, I finally saw it this past Friday and... "Wowwwwww."

SO WHAT'S ALL THE HOOPLA ABOUT THIS MOVIE? IS IT ALL HYPE? OR IS IT ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS?
There is no doubt in my mind that Kill Bill is an excellent movie. It has a few minor flaws (ho-hum casting of lead women, for instance, and a very bland scene with Vivica A. Fox), but its cinematography, soundtrack, and innovativeness is first rate. (See my report card below.) It doesn't get any better than this if you're looking for something shockingly different from the dreary run of uninspired sequels and copycat movies Hollywood has been shoveling at moviegoers for the past five years. I mean, this film is so inventive and unconventional by American standards, it's going to spawn parodies, copycat sequences, and similarly-themed movies for years to come, just as The Matrix did with its classic special effects or Pulp Fiction did with its dialogue.

However, also understand that its excellence lies in the "It's good for what it is" category. Hopefully, that will clarify in what vein its goodness lies. Yes, it's an interesting film. Yes, it's different (by American standards, anyway). Yes, it's a very good entry in its genre-- the B movie. But it's not an A movie-- nor was it meant to be. It was very clear that Tarantino wasn't trying to create a mature, intellectual effort; he was trying to do a zany, wild, juvenile, no holds barred sendup of 1970s Asian revenge flicks and Japanese manga. Period. And that's where this film stands-- as an excellent B movie, not as a serious *masterpiece* its fans are claiming it is nor the A movie its detractors are faulting it for not being.

BUT WILL YOU LIKE IT OR RUN FROM THE THEATER SCREAMING?
Despite the fact that Kill Bill is a well done movie, this doesn't answer the real question that's on everyone's minds: will they like this film? This is especially pressing now that it's splitting moviegoers exactly in half. The truth is, it really depends on who you are. I hate to fall into the "It's an acquired taste/ you have to get it" camp, but this is so true it hurts. And understand that I'm not trying to be one of those elitist snobs. But upon seeing Kill Bill after hearing all the really negative reviews, I was so incredibly shocked by the difference between the film itself and people's [mis]characterizations of it. It was like they had seen a completely different movie. That's when I knew that this was one of those movies--well done, but playing to a particular crowd that's gonna appreciate it on another level than most people.

But which crowd? The Asian cinema and manga crowd. Being of that crowd (more manga than cinema), I loved this film to death. It was entertaining, it was fun, it was like a Tokyopop book come to life. The plotline was manga. The characters were manga. The visual images were manga. The cartoony violence was manga. This was live action manga! I like manga; ergo, I liked this film. But people who've never read manga or understand its conventions are not... going... to... like Kill Bill or get it. They're gonna keep wanting a "movie movie" instead of the live Japanese comic book that it is. (One great example: one detractor derisively referred to it as having Itchy and Scratchy" violence, as if angry the violence wasn't shot realistically, because in a "legitimate" movie, people wouldn't bleed like that.)

Another reason why some people will hate this film is-- yes, I'll admit it-- Tarantino totally lost his mind when he did this project. Insane. Loco. There was one refrain I kept uttering throughout the film as I saw it and that was, "He is... crazy!" I mean, this film is so over the top and wacky and bizarre that it felt like a 12 year old made it. I don't mean in terms of production values, but in terms of creative inspiration. Y'know, just imagine the type of movie your kid brother would make if he were given the budget and carte-blanche to do so. This would be it: blood spurting like geysers, screaming yakuzas, cartoonish beheadings, kick-a** soundtrack, hot Japanese schoolgirls wielding deadly weapon ala Odd Job. No, it wouldn't be deep. In fact, it would be 100% unrealistic and outlandish and nuts. But it would be infused with that enthusiasm and sheer energy that you would expect from a boy of that age. And above all, you would feel the fun he had in such a project, no matter how whacked and shameless it was. This is what this film was: Tarantino's inner child having fun.

So obviously I really, really liked Kill Bill. I thought it was just a fun, exciting cinematic experience. But I think that the primary reason why I liked it so much was that I didn't go into it with any real expectations. Also, it helped that-- incidentally enough-- I started getting into manga recently, so I thoroughly understood it. (It helps if you've read or seen stuff like the "Battle Royale" manga, movie, and book.) But enough of my justification for why I liked this film so much. My report card:

STORYLINE: Meh. (Grade: B-) Could have been better. However, this could have less to do with the storyline itself than the fact that this movie was split in half. Additional points taken off for everything being shot out of sequence. It's not distracting or anything, but you have to keep reminding yourself that things aren't happening exactly in the order that they appear. There is a terrific cliffhanger, however, that hints that the story isn't as brainless as it seems.

DIALOGUE: Meh. (Grade: C) Don't expect another "Royale with Cheese."

CINEMATOGRAPHY/ STYLE: Excellent. (Grade: A ) Visual images just stick in your mind, has surprising variety of styles you won't see coming at all. Plenty of surprises. Expect some of the scenes to become cinematic icons. My one major gripe: that corny, 1970s thing Tarantino does whenever Thurman has a flashback. God, that's awful.

EDITING: Excellent (Grade: A ). Flawless in action sequences, but... was that one scene earlier in the movie where the soundtrack suddenly stops as it cuts to a new angle intentional?? If not, then take off a point.

SOUNDTRACK: More than excellent. (Grade A ) Blends in sweetly with action and adds perfect atmosphere.

DIRECTION: (Grade: A) Okay in some parts, excellent in others. The movie finds its heart in Japan, but the early American-based scenes are 100% uninspired. I don't think Tarantino was as interested in the American actors or scenes as he was in the Japanese ones, and it shows.

CASTING: Meh. (Grade C) My biggest complaint-- and the weakest part of the movie-- was definitely the casting of the main female leads. It's not that Thurman, Liu, and Fox are bad actresses or anything; it's just that in a quirky movie like this, they were too bland and mainstream to make their roles work. I kept wanting them to sprout horns or something-- anything to make them as interesting as the rest of the movie. I really wish Tarantino had gone out on a limb the way he did when he cast Travolta in Pulp Fiction- the uninspired casting of the three ladies literally drain a little blood out of the otherwise quirkiness of this flick. Plus, as much belief as I was able to suspend throughout this very outlandish movie, there was no way in hell I was gonna believe they were assassins. The Japanese teen chick wielding a mace was a million times more credible. So, yeah-- casting of leads could have been better.

OVERALL GRADE: B (But it is a "B" movie, after all!)

APPROPRIATENESS: Definitely not for children. Contains language and violence.





Recommended: Yes