In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

QT's first misstep is 100% style over substance. It's the film equivalent of a kid in a Lego store who builds a structure that threatens to collapse under the weight of its own aspirations because it has no real foundation. It's the director saying: I like Chanbara, Westerns, Blaxploitation, Wuxia, and Uma's feet, so I'm going to put them all together. Aren't I the coolest?
I didn't much like the film but I'm glad QT is in the business. His framing is nearly always perfect and his passion for his craft is plain to see.
If the two films ever get re-edited and commercially released as the rumoured Whole Bloody Affair then I'll happily reassess the work, but it'll need to be a complete pacing re-edit and not just a lazy-ass joining.

2½ splatters of blood in snow out of 5

2 comments:

cuckoo said...

I despise this film.

Although the sheer love & enthusiasm for the genre and number of films it's plagiarizing is oddly admirable.

A 2 from me.

I only saw the two films once but seem to recall enjoying the 2nd part a bit more.

Dr Faustus said...

Lucy Liu and Sonny Chiba's scenes are the only parts I find engaging, but QT's eye for a shot and his use of music meant I had to give it an extra point.

I remember the second one having a better story but I think it was as badly paced as this one. I've only seen it once, when it came out.