DVD, Somerville, MA

*** / ****

by Scott Muoio

Chapter 6

The Master Craftsman

Kill Bill Volume 2 is the work of master craftsman Quentin Tarantino, who decided long ago that movies belong on a higher plain of existence than your typical paint by numbers art project. Although on the surface Volume 2 is merely the continuing story of a woman (Uma Thurman) left for dead seeking revenge on those who thought they succeeded, but, as we know, certainly did not, look more closely and you’ll find Tarantino taking the action picture, dipping it into many other seemingly unconnected genres, and ultimately producing the kung-fu flick he always wanted to see. His story of The Bride ebbs and flows not by whimsy or manipulative calculation, but instead through his knowledge that a story can often be enhanced by changing the order of the details. For him, history is constructed not only by what we remember, but also in what order we remember it. His drama develops from real anticipation and his action springs from a livelihood and enthusiasm found only in the most carefully constructed labors of love. Tarantino may borrow from numerous sources to create his special breed of cinema, but his finished products are neither retreads nor pale imitations, but rather, unique and fascinating conglomerations that are deservedly regarded as the true originals that have led motion pictures gallantly into the 21^st century.

Chapter 7

The Curse of Pai Mei

The more I think about Volume 2 the more impressed I become with the many interesting surprises, plot turns, dialogue choices, flashbacks, camera zooms, and character quirks that Tarantino so generously throws our way. Unlike many pretentious art films that develop more as abstract art than entertaining film, Volume 2 stays true to its heart as first and foremost a revenge story. Plain and simple, this is the story of The Bride getting revenge on all the people who nearly took her life and it picks up right where Volume 1 left off. That Tarantino impressively presents his story in nonlinear fashion, culture grabs from all over the cosmos, and plasters the film with his trademark dialogue which always says much more than we may at first give it credit for, the pictures elevates from mere entertainment to modern art. But like his cinematic doppelganger, kung-fu mega-master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu), who ruled his students with a warped sense of tough love while menacingly and comically stroking his beard, sometimes Tarantino can get carried away, eventually finding himself dying on the floor poisoned because of his own ease in being such a master.

Tarantino’s films demand that we pay close attention but his overindulgences sometimes distract more than they enhance. In many instance in Volume 2, Tarantino’s characters’ motivations seem off the mark, sacrificed for the director’s own artistic inclinations. And sometimes his character’s wordiness can be more verbose than informative. In perusing the evidence in Kill Bill Volume 2, I have specific gripes (SPOILERS AWAY!): Why have the nudie bar scene at all? Why would Bud (Michael Madsen) shoot The Bride with non-threatening rock salt? Why would The Bride not take Bill (David Carradine sporting a distracting and far from menacing lisp) down or at least hang onto her gun when she first meets him again? Why go on and on and on in the church scene with awkwardness that reveals little about the relationship between the characters we care about? Why blather on and wield a giant knife while you make sandwiches? I suppose there’s a logical and cinematically astute answer to each of these questions but would those answers adequately quell the way my mind wandered during some of those scenes? I doubt it. As an attentive viewer, it bothered me that sometimes I couldn’t stick to the task when sticking to the task was what the script required and all the logic in the world can’t make up for a wandering mind.

Chapter 8

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Say what you will, I have no doubt Quentin Tarantino is a cinematic genius. Ten years after creating one of the greatest films of all-time, Pulp Fiction, he is still moving forward doing things with movies that no one else would even dare. From an artistic perspective, the story and execution of Volume 2 is awesome, innovative, intelligent, and inspiring. From an entertainment perspective, it has its moments but sometimes the film had me thinking about things other than the movie at hand, and in particular, how much more I enjoyed Volume 1 than its successor.

It was an interesting choice to break Kill Bill into two parts and I wonder how things would have differed had the two been put out as a single film. Where Volume 1 oozes entertainment and style, Volume 2 gets to the next step with clever philosophy, plot turns, and a final ending that is pure genius. However, this sequel lacks full-throttled entertaining punch that seems required after viewing its predecessor.

Perhaps in the future, Tarantino will join his two films into one, combining the best of both and chopping away some of the fat. Until that happens, if it ever will, I’ll really enjoy the first volume while merely respecting and admiring this one. Not bad, not bad at all, but without really keeping me entertained, I can’t help but be a bit disappointed with Kill Bill Volume 2.