Kill Bill: Vol I (2003)

Home buying, that mysterious and dreaded process of touring vacant spaces and negotiating spackle application, has taken over my life! This has kept me from my usual schedule, but I persist and bring you the latest review in my film watching journey. And hoo boy, this one might be divisive. Let's talk about Kill Bill: Vol I!

The Gist

"The Bride" (Uma Thurman) awakes from a coma four years after the brutal slaughter of her wedding party. She sets about training and tracking down her traitorous former assassin team in order to exact revenge for her loved ones, including her unborn daughter.

Here is the trailer if you want to catch a glimpse before continuing:

MPAA Rating: R

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The Take

I'm afraid I bring you the first negative movie review on the site! Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol I has a lot of elements that I typically enjoy, particularly in action films: simple revenge plot, talented female fighters, a few comedic quips, and actors who slip seamlessly into their characters. This should have been a recipe for success, but unfortunately it did not work for me. The initial premise is waylaid by multiple backstories and backtracking scenes that detract from the impact of the revenge plot, rather than providing additional layer of emphasis.

The film is bracketed by opening and ending scenes that deliver on the action and purpose of the story; "The Bride" is delivering on her promise for bloody vengeance against the assassin group that massacred her wedding party and left her for dead. Her opening fight with Vernita (Vivica A. Fox) has a great mix of action and comedy, and her final fight with O-Ren (Lucy Liu) and the Crazy 88 is surreal in its intense violence and gore with a welcome payoff. However, the middle chunk of the film drags along as it jumps between timelines and characters, punctuated by a lengthy anime scene detailing O-Ren's horrific childhood. It loses the plot pretty quickly, despite Thurman's voiceover attempting to string the disparate scenes together. It is altogether an incomplete story as well, and I later discovered that this was originally intended to be a single four hour film that was later decided to be split into two separate stories.

While the abundance of violence and language has become a trademark of a Tarantino creation, the language in particular was distracting me from everything else happening in the film, and ultimately diminished any enjoyment of the story. I was also not a fan of the multiple sexual assault storylines, which seem all too prevalent in action films involving women. While it does make me uncomfortable, it also signals to lazy storytelling. Both women involved in sexual assault subplots already witness the violent end of their loved ones and don't need additional motivation for violent response, but Tarantino somehow deemed it pivotal to the story.

I will admit that some of the shock value of the movie was effective, particularly when played to comedic effect. It helped undercut the intensity of the violence in the scenes, particularly in the opening sequence. These moments are less frequent as the movie progresses, but blessedly there were a few moments in the rest of the film to provide some levity.

In truth, this movie made me doubt myself. I knew it was popular, and my lack of enjoyment had me concerned that I didn't "get" the film enough to like it. I scoured the internet for details that would help me connect with the material in a way I couldn't do organically. And then I finally reminded myself that I do not have to do research for a piece of media in order to have an informed opinion of it. There were a few moments I enjoyed, and I think the main actors were well committed to the content, but I truly did not like this film, and my opinion is valid because it is based on my viewing experience. Let this be a lesson that you do not have to "prove" the validity of your feelings and opinions in order to have them.

Rating: 4/10

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Memorable Moments

• O-Ren's speech to the other yakuza bosses is hilarious.

• Hattori Hanzo is the only character in this whole film with any honor.

• The final battle was admittedly well choreographed.

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Try It If...

• You enjoy films with a lot of action.

• You are a Tarantino film fan.

• You like martial arts-style movies.

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Avoid It If...

• You don't want to watch a lot of gory violence.

• You want to avoid storylines featuring sexual assault.

• Non-linear storylines do not appeal to you.

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Kill Bill: Vol I is available to stream on Netflix.