eat my brains header graphic
RSS  l  Facebook  l  Twitter  l  About Us  l  Contact Us  l  Link to Us    
    Home    News    Reviews    Features    Top Ten    Zombie Club    Competitions    Links        
latest reviews Back | Next   

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Director
Quentin Tarantino

Cast
Uma Thurman
David Carradine
Michael Madsen
Daryl Hannah
Chia Hui Liu
Perla Haney-Jardine

Rating



Runtime
136 mins

Genre
Action Drama Revenge Thriller Comedy

Trivia
Stay through the credits for a blooper scene from Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Bill plays a wooden flute, which resembles the same instrument David Carradine plays as Kwai Chang Caine in Kung Fu

Available From

Amazon UK
Amazon US

Click on the icons above to purchase this title and support Eat My Brains!


Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

26th Apr 04





Plot
After dispatching two from her hitlist (O-Ren Ishii and Vernita Green) in the first film, The Bride (Uma Thurman) is now after the final three – one-eyed Californian Snake Elle Driver, cowboy Sidewinder Budd (Michael Madsen) and Bill, the old Snake Charmer himself. But Bill knows she’s coming, and he may yet have one more surprise to spring.

Review
So, after having had to wait, ooh let’s see, just about enough time for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 to come out on DVD, now we have the concluding chapter of The Bride’s mission to Kill Bill. How will she dispose of the two surviving members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad? What will she do when she finds out that her daughter is alive? Will she finally manage to embalm'er the Snake Charmer? Will we care?

Well, the answer to the latter is yes and no. If you were slightly disappointed with the first film, but felt it had some great scenes in amongst the slow-paced storyline, expect pretty much more of the same here. Yes, it does have some inspired (mostly homage) moments, and the ending is reasonably satisfying in a full-circle kinda way, but it’s really just a shame that a lot of Vol. 2 is disappointing and flat.

The film opens with Uma Thurman driving in black and white (and an obvious back-screen projection – hey, hang on, isn’t this the trailer?), as she fills us in on where the first film left off. This then brings us right into the wedding scene, and a real beauty it is too.

Gorgeous grainy black and white photography, a ‘dweeb’-perfect groom, the cheeky Samuel L Jackson cameo, and the first appearance of the sandpaper-grain skin that is David Carradine as Bill add up to a rollicking opening 10 minutes. The face-off (quite literally) between Uma Thurman’s bride and Bill as is suitably tense, succeeding in giving the opening of the film a somewhat undeserved epic entrance, ending with a reverse-track shot that serves as a picture-postcard to the classic Westerns of Sergio Leone.

But from then on the film begins to wobble. A pointless scene between Bill and Michael Madsen’s Budd (seemingly only there to provide a ‘link’ to Pulp Fiction when Budd reveals he sold his Hanzo Samurai Sward to a pawn shop) leads to more boring ‘character scenes’ before The Bride finally arrives at Budd’s caravan home with Samurai Sword drawn to get the fun going again.

Tarantino’s trademarks make their unwanted appearances, lazy almost laconic dialogue (everyone seems to talk at 1.5 miles an hour), annoying beeps on the soundtrack to cover the name of The Bride (why? We get to learn it later on anyway..), square shots making the film seem like TV on a widescreen, cringe worthy dialogue delivery.. “Wakey, wakey, eggs’n’bacy” – I ask you?) and unnecessary monologues.

The long-awaited training scene with Pai Mei (Chia Hui Liu) is also disappointing. Lacking even the heart of Mr Mayagi from The Karate Kid, this guy merely sneers and strokes his beard (a lot!) in a very annoying way. Still, at least it gives Black Mamba the chance to learn the “Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique”, which comes in useful not once, but twice.

Structurally Tarantino reverts back to his zip-forward and flashback motif, and the film, like its predecessor, is split into 5 chapters, but this time there’s not enough pace for it to keep rolling. Some scenes are just too drawn-out, with some having no real purpose to plot or character at all (why do we need to see Michael Madsen’s boss at the titty bar, My Oh My Club? What is the character Esteban doing in the film?).

It’s not all bad of course. This is Tarantino, after all, and there are plenty of highlights. Action scenes are handled very well, (the fight between Black Mamba and Darryl Hannah in particular, is a poke in the eye to any who doubt that). There is a terrifically claustrophobic ‘buried alive’ scene, and at least one great sight gag that implies some zombie action!

Reservoir Dogs receives a few nods too, (a razor-blade hidden in a boot, Madsen’s posing in a doorframe and mention of painful kneecap shootings), and there is an abundance (maybe too many?) of other film references from Blade Runner to Once Upon a Time in China

Yet despite what has gone before it, the ending is still reasonably satisfying (final pointless flashback to the pregnancy result aside). Expectations raised, The Bride confronts Bill, and we finally meet (and The Bride learns about) her daughter.

In fact it’s the presence of Perla Haney-Jardine as The Bride’s daughter B.B. that gives the film with most of its heart. As natural as Drew Barrymore in E.T., whether by playing gun-fights or telling tales of squashed fishes, she almost outshines every other actor in the film, and manages to provide a meaningful reason for The Bride’s quest.

Not quite a fumble on the scale of The Matrix then, but you just can’t help wishing Mr Tarantino had cut down on his excesses, shot some of his babies, and released one hyper-kinetic film that would have run between two and three hours.

Experiment tried, and yep, you did get your money from me twice, but don’t do it again ok, unless you’ve got something that matches The Lord of the Rings for sheer scale and storytelling.

Versions
Expect there to be several versions of these two films heading your way. As well as the rumoured ‘cut-together’ package, Tarantino is also thinking of restoring some of the footage that was intended for the Japanese audiences, but left out from Western cinema screens.

Posted by
Rawshark



Return to Reviews Index

comments powered by Disqus
Nightmare Alley

17th Dec 10
More tattooed women and fat shirtless guys than you might expect appear over the course of seven tales of terror.
Nightmare Alley
Baba Yaga

27th Apr 09
Early 70s Euro-sleaze lesbian S&M witchcraft movie with George Eastman that's actually really rather good.
Baba Yaga
Doll Master

2nd Jun 05
Yes, the dolls look creepy and, yes, they all have ridiculously long black hair. Are alarm bells ringing with you yet?
Doll Master
latest news
Review - You're Next
17th Feb 14

Review - World War Z
27th Sep 13

Review - Remains
26th Sep 13

Review - From Beyond
1st Sep 13

Feature - Prometheus: Your Questions Answered
16th Jul 13

Review - Knightriders
6th Jun 13
More...
latest Zombie Clubs
You're Next

17th Feb 14
I'm next? Shit, I'm outta here.

World War Z

27th Sep 13
The most expensive zombie movie ever isn't actually that bad.

Remains

26th Sep 13
Zombies attack a casino in Reno. Whatever next?

From Beyond

1st Sep 13
So there you are mucking about stimulating the pineal gland and the next thing you know your dead colleague returns from beyond.

Knightriders
6th Jun 13
Megan is Missing
29th May 13
latest top tens
Prometheus: Your Questions Answered
16th Jul 13
Prometheus, then. That was a bit confusing, wasn’t it? Worry not – we can explain everything. Kinda.

FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day Two
4th Mar 13
Dumb movies are a lot easier to have fun with when they drop the rape.

FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day One
3rd Mar 13
Another sunny, snowy February in Glasgow and another rollercoaster of a line-up from Frightfest team

Interview with The Revenant's David Anders
22nd Jun 12
We talk to David Anders about this absolute gem of a cult classic in the making

Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day Two
11th Mar 12
Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day One
3rd Mar 12
More Features...
    Home    News    Reviews    Features    Top Ten    Zombie Club    Competitions    Links        

Reviews

You're Next
World War Z
Remains
From Beyond
Knightriders
Megan is Missing
Friday the 13th Part 2
Bait 3D
Motel Hell
Delirium Photos of Goia
Friday the 13th
Lisa and the Devil
Piranha 3DD
Black Sunday (Blu Ray)
Zombie Apocalypse
Django, Prepare a Coffin
Zombie Flesh Eaters (Blu-Ray Steelbook)
Phenomena
The Return of the Living Dead
The Devil Rides Out


Features

Prometheus: Your Questions Answered
FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day Two
FrightFest Glasgow 2013 - Day One
Interview with The Revenant's David Anders
Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day Two
Film4 FrightFest Glasgow 2012 - Day One
Going off on one about Gremlins with Anthony OD
Glasgow FrightFest - February 2011
I SPIT ON YOUR COUNCIL: THE ROUGH GUIDE TO FRIGHTFEST 2010
Talking of Torment : In Conversation With Andrew Cull


Top Ten

Top Ten Films of 2011
Top Ten Essential Takashi Miike Works
Top Ten Great Moments from Overlooked 2010 Movies
Faking Fear: Top Ten Mockumentaries
Top Ten Alternatives to The Exorcist
Top Ten Nightmarish Moments on Elm Street
Top Ten 2009 Genre Movies You Might Not Have Seen But Really Should
Top Ten Movies to watch this Halloween
Top Ten Frightfest Moments
Top Ten Defining Friday the 13th Moments


Zombie Club

Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors
Vigilante Night
Deodato Night
Peter O'Brian Night
Strike Commando Dawn
George Kenne-Day
Ninja Ninja Ninja Night
Juan Piquer Simon Night
Panther Night
Klaus Kinski Sci-Fi Night
Revenge Night
Sergio Martino Night
Monsters and Dinosaurs Night
Trollogy Night
Italian Post-Apoc Night
Late Fulci Night
Warrior Women Day
Ozploitation Night
70s Kidnap Night
Chinese Super Ninja Night


              All written material © Copyright EMB 2003-2017       

A very cool UK based blog on all the new and old cult Italiana.GoreGalore.com is a movie review site of mostly horror/sci-fi/suspense films, written by a tremendous fan of the genre.
Horror to the people 24/760s & 70s Soundtracks & Library Music