Favorite Filmmakers: Quentin Tarantino- Kill Bill Volume 2

Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)

Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino


Plot Summary: After making her way through O-Ren Ishii and Vernita Green, the Bride continues to target the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad by going after Bill's brother Budd and Elle Driver. Once she has finished them off, she has only one person left to kill: Bill. After tracking Bill down to the Mexican countryside, the Bride is ready to make her final move, but is shocked to discover that her daughter B.B. is alive and being raised by Bill, her father. For B.B.'s sake, the Bride acts like nothing is wrong and tries to play nicely with Bill in front of their daughter. However, after she puts B.B. to bed, Bill shoots the Bride with truth serum and asks why she left him all those years ago. After explaining why she did what she felt she had to do, there is only one piece of business left for both of them: survive.

After Kill Bill Volume 1 was released and received worldwide acclaim, moviegoers were ready to see how Quentin Tarantino brought this 4-hour, 2-part epic to a close with Kill Bill Volume 2. In my last review, I voiced my opinion that Kill Bill should have just been released as one complete film, thanks to the standard that Volume 1 set. Since Tarantino has gone on to label both volumes as his official fourth film, it seems as though that sentiment rings true with the filmmaker himself. I want to go ahead and right off the bat state that I do not think Kill Bill Volume 2 is a bad film, far from it. However, Volume 1 set the bar so high that it was near impossible for Volume 2 to live up to the standards. If they would have been combined, there'd be no problem, but they weren't, so there is. Let's go ahead and see what works and doesn't work about Kill Bill Volume 2 in terms of a standalone film and a conclusion to a 2-part franchise.

David Carradine plays the main antagonist of the 2-part film, Bill. Ironically, even though Carradine is best known for his lead role on the TV show Kung Fu, Bill feels like he belongs more in a western than he does in a martial arts movie. Look at that picture and decide for yourself. Anyways, we initially believe that Bill is this cruel and heartless killer that deserves to die. Yet, when we find him here, he's actually being a good father to his daughter B.B. As an audience and everything we were let on to believe about Bill, we're just as confused and conflicted as Beatrix Kiddo, played by Uma Thurman, is when she finds him. Then he goes and shoots her with truth serum and things start to get back to normal. You can tell though, that he really does value the family he wants to have and so when you know only one of them will probably get out of this film alive, you begin to ask yourself questions of right and wrong and whether there is maybe another way to solve their differences. But then again, that wouldn't make for an exciting conclusion would it?

Bill's brother Budd, played by Michael Madsen, is another member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. I'd say the first third of this movie actually feels like Budd's movie. We have scenes where he leads the main narrative without any interaction with Kiddo or Bill. We see the abuse he takes at his day job, some of his relaxation time at home, and even how clever he can be around other people. He's actually a really deceptive and manipulative character, with no one actually seeing him as a legitimate threat. Yet he proves that he's much more competent and threatening than people give him credit for. And of course, it's great to see Madsen return to a Tarantino film after playing the iconic Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs.

The last member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad is Elle Driver, played by Daryl Hannah. Elle's big character traits are that she has an eyepatch and that she's jealous of Kiddo. That's about it for her, but she definitely leaves a big impression. There's something about Elle that is so over the top maniacal that she belongs on a Saturday morning cartoon or in a comic book. It's fantastic. Her intro scene in Volume 1 is absolutely haunting with her nurse's outfit and whistling. Here, she's able to be herself and strikes up a very good conversation with Budd. Elle's biggest weakness is definitely her ego. It's revealed that her disrespect is actually the reason that she loses her eye.

That lovely backstory comes courtesy of the legendary martial arts master Pai Mei, played by Gordon Liu. Just look at this man. There's probably some form of offensive stereotyping going on here, yet it works spectacularly. Pai Mei is like Yoda or Mr. Miyagi. He's this wise and eccentric mentor figure for Kiddo to train with in order to become greater. However, while Yoda and Miyagi are from family films, Pai Mei is a bit rough around the edges. I mean, if you're in Kiddo's shoes when meeting Pai Mei, you'd probably be left thinking that he's a complete tool. I have words to describe Pai Mei that I have vowed not to use on this blog. Yet, you can understand why he's hard on his students. And when Kiddo improves, so does his attitude. And through that, Kiddo's respect and admiration for Pai Mei grows stronger. Heck, once you've gotten to know Pai Mei, it's absolutely hilarious to think that he ripped out Elle's eye for insulting him. That totally sounds like the type of thing Pai Mei would do. Classic Pai Mei and his shenanigans.

As I wrap up my thoughts on Kill Bill Volume 2, I have to spend a little time addressing my biggest issue with the film: the pacing. With way more dialogue than action sequences, Volume 2 really seems to drag in places. It never really feels like it rises in quality or intensity. The whole film feels like one giant slow burn to the finale. While that may not be bad for some, just compare it to Volume 1. In that film, you had tons of memorable action sequences carefully spliced among the scenes of exposition and character backstories in order to creative a cohesive and versatile narrative. This film doesn't take advantage of that style of filmmaking and it definitely suffers in comparison. Had it been one long film, the slow burn would be much more acceptable and logical. I mean, it would be a 4-hour movie for crying out loud. Still, Kill Bill definitely reminded audiences that Tarantino is still a force to be reckoned with in filmmaking and added new life to his career that has carried to this day. I just wish it could have been brought to us the way that Tarantino originally intended.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.

With the expectations I had from Volume 1, Kill Bill Volume 2 just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. A lot of the characters are good and the conversations are meaningful, but its biggest problem is the pacing. This film really needed the action from Volume 1 to balance it out, and because of that I can only suggest this as a rental to all moviegoers who enjoy the first film. But, if you're a diehard Tarantino aficionado, there's no harm in having Volume 2 in your collection.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Kill Bill Volume 2 and movie images are copyrighted by Miramax Films