Kill
Bill, Vol. 2 (2004)
A Miramax
Picture
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman (The Bride),
Daryl Hannah (Elle Driver), Michael Madsen (Budd),
David Carradine (Bill), Gordon Liu (Pai Mei),
Michael Parks (Esteban)
Running Time: 2 hours, 17 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Review written on 9 July 2006
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"Bitch, You Don't Have a Future..."
So in Kill Bill, Vol 1, we got the
amazing bombshell from One-Armed Sophie that The Bride's daughter
was still alive, and not dead as we had assumed (I mean, you
get beat the crap out of, shot in the head, and then put in
a four-year coma - it's a natural assumption to think that
child didn't live). I apologize if that was a spoiler, but
c'mon now, haven't you seen that movie already? If not, well,
catch up. Since I'm on a roll now, you may as well know that
the Bride took out 2 of the other Deadly Viper Assassination
Squad (DiVAS) in the first one, O-Ren Ishii first and then
Vernita Green. Kill Bill Vol 2 resumes the Bride's rampage
of revenge, with Budd being next on the list, followed by
Elle Driver and of course, finally, Bill.
To be honest, I liked this Vol just
a bit more than the first one. While there's not nearly as
much action as you found in the first one like the House of
Blue Leaves showdown, the action that is contained here is
pretty damn powerful. I'll admit to being a bit nervous when
they actually show the Massacre, although not much massacre
is shown - but there's a lot of build-up, and then you realize
that the Bride was not the only person killed in that church.
Sorta sad...but anyways, you then get the Bride's reunion
with Budd - and one of the creepiest scenes I've seen in a
while, in which the Bride is buried alive. Ugh. I've hated
these kind of scenes ever since I saw one in the TV show Amazing
Stories. That would be possibly the worst way to die, next
to drowning. And then when you start to hear the dirt being
thrown on the coffin - well, in the theater, it feels like
the entire theater is being buried alive. Literally.
But perhaps my most favorite moment
in the entire Vol 2 is the scene in which Elle and the Bride/Beatrix
are reunited. The line quoted above is from that scene. It
is one of the most raw, knock-down fights I've seen, and it's
ugly, and it's awesome. The preface to that scene is between
Elle and Budd, which serves to get you revved up for the ultimate
showdown between the two blondes. Seriously, these two go
to town. Better yet is the amazing soundtrack playing during
their climactic moment - you can't wait to see how this is
all going to play out. Poor Elle... (again, is that a big
surprise? Although I can say I haven't completely ruined it!)
The end is obviously the 'showdown'
between Beatrix and Bill. It's a very long, drawn-out sequence,
and while there's lots of interesting talk and revelations,
the actual battle between these two is over in about 10 seconds.
I know I was let down, a little, by that, but it was appropriate
when you see how it was carried out.
And finally, although credits aren't
typically something to rave about, Kill Bill's end credits
have the most insanely awesome song playing over them, a very
cool Mexican ditty that plays over video clips of EVERY character
in the movie. Hella Sweet.
Scenes to Remember:
Trapped in Paula's grave; Elle reunites with Beatrix; The
Five-Fingered Five-Point Exploding Heart Palm technique; The
final credits with song.
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Deleted Scene