About Me
In Kill Bill, Uma Thurman is Black Mamba (also known as The Bride), a member of an elite hit team called The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad which operates under the leadership of the enigmatic and cruel Bill (David Carradine). When she decides to quit the assassination game and settle into a family life, her colleagues take it upon themselves to crash her wedding and annihilate all in attendance, including the bride and her unborn baby. But in their spree of bloody murder the squad made one fatal mistake by allowing Black Mamba to survive her injuries. Upon waking from her four year coma and realising there is no baby at her side, The Bride swears bloody revenge, drawing up a list of those she intends to eliminate and the order in which they will fall. The squad of her former workmates consists of ruthless members O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), Elle Driver (Darryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen) and Bill himself.Volume 1 of Kill Bill follows the first two hits on The Bride's list, her fateful wedding day and the childhood torment of her first target O-Ren Ishii. In true Tarantino style the story is disjointed and begins with her second hit, Vernita Green. The plot then flows through her tragic and brutal wedding ceremony and the recovery from her injuries into attaining her weapon and seeking her first victim. During her absence there have been a lot of changes to the team - O-Ren has become the Yakuza boss of Tokyo (an interesting story in itself) while Vernita Green has started a family and retired to suburban Los Angeles. The road ahead for The Bride isn't easy, but she'll do all she can to make them pay with their blood!If you are wondering how the lead character manages to make her way through the entire film without using her real first name, the answer is simple. On the occasions that her name is uttered, the word is beeped out. I'm not saying that our censors have pulled a fast one on us, in fact it is the Director who has chosen for the name to not be heard. Do not dismay, for several clues are offered throughout the film hinting towards the answer. In fact, any viewer familiar with British children's literature should be able to work it out. The character "The Bride" is interestingly credited as a creation of Q & U, obviously a reference to Quentin and Uma, because the premise for Kill Bill was actually conceived on the set of Pulp Fiction many years ago.The cast of strong, recognisable leads is backed up by an excellent range of support actors, some of which make the film most worthwhile for me. The irrepressible Sonny Chiba reprises his role as Hattori Hanzo, the character that gained him great fame as part of the Japanese series Shadow Warriors. Chiba's excellent performance ranges from riotously comedic to deeply emotional and highlights him as a professional and experienced talent. Chiaki Kuriyama - whose previous work includes the classic Battle Royale - garbs herself in a school uniform once again as Gogo, one of O-Ren's henchmen, giving her character that same psychotic edge that we know and love. Julie Dreyfus is similarly stunning as Sophie Fatale, part lawyer and part bodyguard - another of O-Ren's posse and equally deadly.Production I.G. contributed a fantastic animated sequence to the film, which outlines the origin of O-Ren Ishii. The sequence is relatively short, but acts as a superb break in the action.Being a pastiche of 70s-style revenge and humour means that some more cynical viewers may need to leave their picky temperaments at the door. This is an action film, so don't question inconsequential things like: How did she get that samurai sword onto the plane? and How did he jump onto that balcony? Just enjoy it, and live with it. After all, it's good fun.In essence, Kill Bill is Tarantino's tribute to the classic yakuza and samurai films of the 70s, with fragments from all kinds of cinema, including anime, spaghetti westerns and European suspense. The accompanying Making Of discusses such influences as Lady Snowblood, a superb samurai film with a female lead character which was unique in its time. Quentin has also commented that the assassination squad in Kill Bill is a direct reference to Fox Force Five, a part of the history of Uma Thurman's character in Pulp Fiction. The broad range of influences and styles that Tarantino has brought to this film results in a richly crafted and highly rewarding cinematic experience like no other.
