Kill Bill: Vol. 1

I didn’t realized I haven’t left a review of this film even though it has steadily sat at my top 4 favorite films since I saw it such a long time ago.  A tale of revenge and the power it holds over people, perfectly stylized to pay homage to the old eastern martial arts movies it draws from, Kill Bill to me in both script and screen achieves a perfect balance of gruesome and gritty visuals, with a perfect script to match.  The Bride is one of if not my favorite character and lead in a film- Uma is such a fantastic actress her cold looks and stares truly speaks a thousand words. She truly has a commanding presence in this film doing so much with her soft expressions, and dialogue, you can feel the disdain she has come off of each word when she speaks to the other members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.  Speaking of that, Lucy Liu as O-Ren was also fantastic. From watching her animated backstory to possibly my favorite scene in this film where O-Ren dashes across the table to behead Tanaka. That scene and the sequence of The Bride taking out all of the Crazy 88 members up until the very last frame of this film are so ingrained in my brain it’s impossible to forget it. Not that I would want too, this film truly captures the spirit of revenge and how overwhelming it is, simply distilling your will onto others as you see fit.  I’m not sure I had a structure going into this review but next I want to mention music briefly. Twisted Nerve, the theme we hear Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) whistle has been working its way back into my head ever since I heard it. Songs such as That Certain Female, Bang Bang, and the oh so classic Ironside- helps cement this films discography. Each song to me have a certain feeling attached to it, having its own place to sit and hold in the edit.  I’m not sure what else to write about other than the cinematography. Tarantino and Robert Richardson did one hell of a job figuring out how to shoot this, mixing elements from westerns, martial arts films, and action movies alike, while still figuring out its own identity. Beautiful tracking shots, with unique angles lends itself to the film beautifully, close ups showing weapons and how focused on each piece of it. Birds Eye shots helping us establish certain rooms to feel like we are simply watching someone who has no control. To the near final shot where we see a snow covered area be taken aback by drops of blood. There is so much more I can talk about like the color grading, the use of black and white, the action. But I’m not nearly articulate enough to really put my feelings into words. I love this movie and the impact it has had on me as a filmmaker.