Kill Bill Vol. I & II
Tarantino has his own style and for better or for worse, this style is consistently embedded into each and every one of his films. As a result some of these high octane, highly-stylised action escapades can sometimes blur into the same shade of cinema. ‘Kill Bill’ is perhaps the most explicit display of Tarantino flare with soundtrack, cinematography and dialogue living up to there usual standards. Each component of the film is well executed and the creative flourish preserves the acclaimed director’s status as unique and world-renowned. The success behind, sound, visuals and dialogue lies behind the consistency in purpose and the liberties taken to provide a distinctive viewing experience. The purpose in question, is used to ground the script within the environment it creates for itself, whilst the creative liberties expand this environment to a cinematic and often extravagant level. Kill Bill vol.1 and vol.2 carries a very basic premise, a grief-stricken mother loses her child and goes on a wild killing spree. Although there is no obligation for a narrative to be multi-faceted, it often helps to add depth and vibrancy to a supposedly linear plot. Naturally vibrancy isn’t an issue for Tarantino however depth is loudly lacking in the ‘Kill Bill’ saga.
The first installment follows ‘######’ expertly played by Uma Thurman, from the offset Tarantino’s playground can be seen with the use of rugged chapter changes and multi-perspective sequences with ironically cliché dialogue. In terms of cinematography the film is clean, crisp and perfect for blood-soaked action sequences with black and white establishing the scripts deathly direction from the very beginning. The confidence in direction is also translated into high-calibre action scenes that utilise elements of conventional and modern cinema think more nuanced ‘John Wick’ with more focus on the psychological and raw motives of both killers. As previously mentioned, the film falls short in terms of plot depth which is both linear and thin, the audience is never really given any substantial background to any of the characters they only gain depth through a series of bloodshed events where fragments of information are revealed. Despite the generally thin plot there are many moments of symbolic brilliance from Tarantino, in vol.2 ‘######’ is buried alive 6ft under in a coffin, using the infamous 1-inch punch to escape ‘######’ rises from the assumed dead and walks through death valley showing a visual depiction of a return from hell. Scenes like these instil a sense of grandiose that help build the awesome-centric film into a passionate and resonating action thriller. If more elements were explored in terms of grief with the combination of decent backstory this tarantino classic would likely become a masterpiece.
