Kill Bill: Vol. 2   

The Bride: Uma Thurman

Bill: David Carradine

Budd: Michael Madsen

Elle Driver: Daryl Hannah

Pai Mei : Gordon Liu

Written and Directed by

Quentin Tarantino

While Volume 1 was, for the most part, non-stop action, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 fills out the story behind the main character.  The film focuses on the reasons behind the massacre at the church, the source of the Bride's amazing skills, and her love/hate relationship with Bill (David Carradine).  It is this relationship that provides for the film's soft spot and emotional heft as we learn there is a lot more to it than just the Bride's quest for revenge. 

This movie more than any other Tarantino film proves how strong of a writer he is.  He's not just capable of pooling a few pop culture references and dropping them into his characters' dialogue, but is able to create mood and develop characters better than most other screenwriters by not relying on exposition solely intended to advance the plot.  He also provides a few unexpected surprises in the story that lead to further insights into the characters of the Bride and Bill.

Before she gets to Bill, however, she must first take care of Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle (Daryl Hannah).  The sequences in the movie that lead to the demise of these two members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad are truly inspired, and this is where Tarantino shines as a director.  There isn't much doubt as to how or when these two will meet their end, but Tarantino is able to ratchet up the tension level anyway as we await what seems to be the inevitable conclusion. 

Tarantino uses various visual styles in this movie to delineate time and sequencing, much like the first film.  The scenes at the massacre are in black-and-white and the scenes where the Bride learns her important skills under the tutelage of Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) are grainy with muted colors, much like an old kung-fu movie.  The look and feel of these scenes, combined with those in the first film, create the impression that Kill Bill is a true epic.   Fortunately, it doesn't just feel like one, it is one, and one of the best that we have had in a long time.  The characters, dialogue, style, and story make the recently anointed Lord of the Rings epic feel even more cartoonish and unimportant than it originally was. 

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 is a masterful work that never feels like just the second half of a movie.  Some people have complained about the fact that it was split into two parts like it was some sort of marketing ploy.  Instead of lamenting this, these same people should be rejoicing the fact that we were treated to the full version of this story, where every scene is important, fantastic, and fully immerses the audience.  There isn't a missed note, and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 easily stands as one of the best movies of the year so far.