![]() ![]() Perhaps as an homage to the Hong Kong action films a lot of the violence is a bit campy, more than once I reminded of a scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where a knight gets limb after limb lopped off and shrugs it off 'tis but a scratch'. It's jam packed with more severed limbs than almost any film I've ever seen. Known for his in-you-face violent approach Tarantino spared no blood in making Kill Bill. Several scenes in Kill Bill Chapter Vol 1 drag on the ridiculous lengths especially the major fight sequence of the film. By spanning his film into 2 parts Tarantino seems to have convinced himself that he was free of the constraints of time, but he isn't. On almost every DVD with deleted scenes, there's a director describing how he had to shorten scenes and cut great moments because of time. The key fault of Kill Bill may in fact be the decision to split the film into 2 parts. She's edited every Tarantino film to date and perhaps Kill Bill Vol 1 may have benefited from someone who was more external and could have worked to reign Tarantino in a bit. Editor Sally Menke who is an fantastic editor may not have been the right choice for this film. One of the biggest problems with Kill Bill Vol 1 is that the best moments of the film are lost in the ocean of a film that at times hobbles painfully along. In one scene Uma Thurman sits staring at her feet willing her big toe to move, it may sound mundane but it's far more intense and captivating that some of the extremely long and bloody fights in the films. There are scenes and shots in this movie which are outstanding, with a fantastic and distinct style that will please even the most skeptical Tarantino watchers. Great or not, Tarantino fills Kill Bill with fantastic moments. After watching Kill Bill Vol 1 there's no question in my mind that Tarantino is an extremely talented director, but the question remains: is he a Great Director or does he just aspire to be great? My fear is, he's still aspiring to be great, and trying just a little too hard in the process. But be warned, if you're not up on all your Shaw Brothers and Kurosawa films or can't identify an obscure version of the theme song from The Green Hornet you might very well feel on the outside of one long inside joke. The big benefit of this is that Kill Bill Vol 1 definitely inspires you to seek out the gems from the past that it draws from. ![]() While other director's reinact the restaurant scene in Scorsese's Goodfellas, Tarantino pulls from the work of The Shaw Brothers and tips his hat to Jack Hill all to the tune of some obscure Japanese band. More than almost any other Director Tarantino has a deep understanding of the films that have been lost in the edges and fallen into the creases of film history. Tarantino's training comes from his time spent working in a video store and it shows. Kill Bill Vol 1 certainly isn't a bad film, it's a cornucopia of film styles and references which will keep even the most astute film geek on his toes. Until Vol 2 hits screen one can only speculate at the entirety of this project. Marketing ploy to capture more of movie goers money? A necessary move for a 3 1/2 hour film with sword battles that seem to go on forever? It's hard to tell. Originally intended to be one complete film, Miramax made the decision to split the film in two and release them several months apart. In the era of multi-episode movies comes the latest from film geek Quentin Tarantino - Kill Bill Vol 1. ![]()
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