Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)

Quentin Tarantino is a film geek (not unlike yours truly) who is massively influenced by the films he has seen and is a master at mixing those influences coherently. Kill Bill Vol. 1 is a perfect example of this. Additionally Tarantino is a master at non-linear storytelling. In this case we start at the beginning and move into the end of the story and Tarantino, as he did with Pulp Fiction, manages to tie everything together by the end through his near-perfect writing. He frequently places "Macguffins" (something that the audience finds inconsequential until much later on) that help to reinforce the need to pay attention.

The film centers around a woman known only as The Bride (Uma Thurman) who, four years after being shot in the head at her wedding, awakens from a coma and decides it's time for a little, or a lot, of payback. Having been gunned down by her former boss (David Carradine) and his squad of deadly international assassins (Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Lucy Liu) she goes on a quest to exact her revenge and much like any movie about that subject the quest is messy. Lots of "innocent" people die along the way because unfortunately that's the story of revenge. It never works out quite the way the avenger wants it to.

The violence in the film is extensive. A lot of it is so immensely over the top that it borders on camp. I am reminded of Peter Jackson's Dead Alive simply because of the massive amount of blood. A lot of people ask how I can give this film a pass and hate the violence in a film like Kick-Ass. The answer is simple. The violence in this film is not gruesome or unpleasant. The fight scenes in this film are highly choreographed and interesting to view just from a stylistic standpoint.

The film is well-written and carries with a sense of style that was evidently influenced by the Martial Arts films of the seventies and eighties.

It's refreshing to see a woman in a role that is so often reserved for men and Uma Thurman is immensely perfect in the film. I'm not sure if women will be empowered by a character that is a female warrior and not simply just the girl walking around tee-heeing about stupid things but who knows?

★★★★