Kill Bill (Vol. 1, thanks to Miramax) is a disappointment, which is
not to say that it is not enjoyable. It is just that being
Tarantino’s first film in 6 years, it does not quite live up to the
expectations (mine, atleast) set by Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and
the time gap (in that order). I do however have to state that
reviewing Kill Bill without having seen Vol. 2 is incorrect and Vol.
2 might change my view on Vol. 1.
The story:
For those of you who have been living on some other planet for the
past month, Kill Bill is the story of how an ex-assassin named The
Bride (Uma Thurman) exacts revenge on her ex-cohorts (her boss Bill
and his Deadly Viper Assassination Squad). Which basically means that
Kill Bill does not have a story.
The positives:
Tarantino maintains his mastery with the camera, especially in the
biggest fight sequence where he deftly incorporates changes in pace
and skillfully shifts the canvas from colour to black & white to
blue, while also managing to deftly integrate the ’’intelligent bits
of dialogue required in all action. In general, the fight sequences
are well done, with some expert camerawork, crisp editing and
splendid music all etched into a solidly fused, ingenious
portraiture. Actually, throughout, Tarantino affirms his amazing
mastery with music, every piece being beautifully woven into the
movie. Tarantino also (thankfully) retains his adroitness in
storytelling (yes, this is still storytelling, even if without a
story). The narrative is artful and rhythmical, maintaining a fast
and steady pace throughout the movie. As an example, when he has to
tell the story of how Lucy Liu’s character became an assassin, he
imaginatively paints it in anime, thereby preventing it from sliding
into the usual mixture of ridiculousness and boredom.
And now, the blemishes:
Tarantino’s big failure is in trying to walk a fine line between
creating a spoof and a stylish action flick (something I thought was
overlooked by most Hollywood reviewers). His confusion on how to draw
a balance between creating a farce and maintaining style is what
prevents the movie from becoming top-notch. Where Tarantino also
fails miserably is in his humour which is a big letdown considering
how good he has been with it in the past. The jokes lack all wit and
intelligence and are bland and hackneyed (which can be a good thing
for a straight spoof, but achieves absolutely nothing here). And
though his obsession with blood and gore is nothing new, this time he
overdoes it (intentionally) to such an extent that it becomes asinine
(instead of amusing). The idea of a fountain of blood spouting from a
body is funny the first one or two times but becomes banal by the end
of the movie.
Final Word: The movie is definitely worth a watch, mostly for the
fight sequences, the graceful narrative and the music (trust me, the
exhilaration that the music provides recognizably improves the Kill
Bill experience). Taking Vol. 1 on its own merit, it is not worth
watching again...and I never thought I would say that about a
Tarantino movie.