Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Grade: B+

When we last left Uma and Quentin, they were perched on my top ten list for one of the best films of 2003. While they’ve slipped somewhat from their previous panoramic heights, this follow-up is less a Part 2 and surprisingly more its own entity than one would have expected. Still often visually stunning and daring, still an auteur director strutting his marvelous stuff, this one is less formulaic yet also less taut than its predecessor.

As described in my review of Kill Bill Volume 1, “Uma Thurman seeks violent revenge on those that have wronged her. This is not the plot in a nutshell. This is the plot. This is also one of the most violent movies ever filmed. Blood drips, oozes, flows, sprays and yes, even fountains. It may not be my cup of sake. Yet it is all oddly and undeniably brilliant.”

While still an homage of sorts to a bravura kung fu filmmaking style, Kill Bill 2 veers away from its original conceit, and one is left with a subtle feeling that the original arc has been quietly abandoned. Less bloody, less action packed, less straight forward, more ambling, Uma Thurman is given even more room to shine, pulsating raw with emotion and pathos beyond the high kicks, blade slashing and blood letting. She becomes a more fully realized human being, both to the benefit of Thurman’s award-winning potential and to the detriment of the overall construct. There are also strangely dull patches, as though we are watching a director’s cut that feels the need to flesh out characters with back story and interpersonal motivations. One misses the breathless, take no prisoners drive of the first film, the exhilarated, draining exhaustion one felt after the film ended.

Still, there is much to be admired and thrilled by, including some of the most dazzlingly original cinematography and twistedly kick-ass storylines one can imagine. Taken as a whole work, rarely has violence and action been so filled with elegance and style. If one assumes we have entered the mind and vision of Director Tarantino, what a gloriously twisted mind it is.

More Movie Info: http://imdb.com/title/tt0378194/