What has Samurai swords, killer iconic yellow jump suits and a schoolgirl wielding a large meteor hammer? Yes, it can only be the one, the only, Kill Bill. Split into two tantalizing volumes, the Tarantino series is one of the most recognisable of all of his works, with plenty of martial arts action to keep your eyes fully fixated on your screen for hours. In celebration of Tarantino Day, it would be sacrilege to not re-visit Tarantino’s iconic films; Kill Bill Volume 1 and Kill Bill Volume 2, and explain to you, even if you do nothing else today, you should whack on these classics and emerge yourself in butt-kicking action that Tarantino does so well.
With Uma Thurman in the lead role as the Bride, it becomes clear that this is one lady that has a reason to feel wronged – and want revenge. Arming herself with a Samurai Sword and using her elite fighting skills she sets herself on a path to get revenge on all of those people who betrayed her, with special action set aside for the leader of her former group – Bill. Aside from the wicked fighting sequences, Kill Bill Vol 1 has some even more interesting nicknames (‘Cottonmouth’, ‘Black Mamba’ and ‘California Mountain Snake’, to name a few) and backstories that develop gradually throughout the course of the film. In particular Tarantino style, there is of course a multitude of references or ‘homages’ to popular culture and other films, including Lady Snowblood, They Call Her One Eye, Samurai Reincarnation, and so many other different genres and conventions that are present in various cinematic universes.
The casting for both volumes of the series is impeccable; in Vol 1 we see Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii, a Samurai master and Queen of the Tokyo Underworld. It’s no doubt that Lui’s Ishii has some immense lines (“You didn’t think it was gonna be that easy, did you? Silly Rabbit” and “I collect your fucking head” spring to mind) and her chemistry with Thurman was a pleasure to watch on screen. Then of course there’s Vivica A. Fox who portrays the protective Vernita Green (and wins the award for best concealed weapon in a cereal box) and Chiaki Kuriyama (who stars as Gogo Yubari), who definitely garners a lot of attention as the sadistic 17-year-old bodyguard of O-Ren. Vol 2 also has its impressive cast members, including Daryl Hannah (who really works that eye patch) and David Carradine, who plays the eponymous target of all of the Bride’s rage and revenge.
Perhaps what works so well for Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2 is that they both work so well under the influence of Tarantino; a man who has said that he didn’t go to film school, “he went to films”. His passion for cinema shows in the multitude of other popular culture and cinematic references and this creates a clever in-references for previous Tarantino film fans and fans of different genres that have been incorporated into this film series. Being a Tarantino film, the elements of beautifully orchestrated action and violence are there, and they can’t help but be a guilty pleasure to any adrenaline junkie. The dialogue is sharp and expertly executed by the array of talent that studs this martial flick, and you’ll struggle to pry yourself away from both volumes of this epic adventure. So do yourself a favour and introduce (or re-immerse) yourself into the wonderful world of Tarantino today.