Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003): USA

Reviewd by Kelvin Matthews. Viewed on DVD.

One of the most influential and auteur film directors and writers of our time has been Quentin Tarantino. With a string of celebrated and unconventional films that are unique and distinguishable to Tarantino’s undeniable style, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is no exception.  A masterful piece of film art, Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1, as well as the later released Kill Bill: Vol. II are two films I am sure the famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa would have approved of.

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino and released by Miramax Films in 2003, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is an explosive mix of action and script in which the storyline of the film comes from a general adaptation of the 1973 Japanese film “Shurayukihime” (Lady Snowblood) in which a Japanese women Oyuki seeks revenge by killing members of a gang that killed her family and raped her mother. As she accomplishes each task, Oyuki crosses each name off of her list one by one. Obvious other influences can be seen in the themes of this film such as the relationship between the bride (Uma Thruman) and her mentor Bill (David Caradine) that reminds you of some of Kurosawa’s most groundbreaking films, such as the master disciple relationship in “Seven Samurai” and the theme of betrayal in “Ran,” this film has a style and depth which is all its own.

The plot of this film is intriguing and follows a non linear storyline of mystery, and an art cinema style that is strictly Tarantino, as the former assassin and The Bride, Black Mamba (Uma Thurman) becomes the driving force in the narrative of this film, as she seeks revenge on those former colleagues who killed her bridal party, but failed in killing her. The performance’s of Lucy Liu as O-Ren-Ishii and Vivica A. Fox as Vernita Green (Cooperhead) leaves you feeling as if they were born to play their roles as they convincingly bring you into the narrative of this film and make you feel as if they are indeed the characters they play. While films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” had a narrative and script that simply caught the audience’s heart, a number of martial arts films leave you with scripts that hold little significance or meaning while “Kill Bill” has a narrative and script that is as much a part of the film and actually more then the continued action that is seen throughout this film. Because of this fact, one could never view this film as just another martial arts film, but in my opinion ranks among the best along with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in any genre of filmmaking, as it encompasses much of what makes a film great and what one goes to the theater for.

Filmed out of sequence and in a style all its own with non linear and multiple storylines that seem to have no regard to Classic Hollywood filmmaking, this film has become a modern day cult classic that has taken filmmaking in a new direction. The art cinema style and the continued homage to Hong Kong marital arts films, as well as spaghetti westerns, and Japanese chanbara films with the classic sword fighting scenes bring a number of different genres together and into one great film. With its unusual sequence of shots and a story filled with twists and turns, the narrative of this story is hard to predict and makes you feel as if you are watching a new genre of filmmaking in much the same way one might have viewed film noir for the first time.

The cinematography is also very beautifully done with a touch of noir and a new cinema feel of bright colors and a sense of ambiance that the camera shows in beautiful detail. It is done much the same fashion as noir films used low key and high key lighting to set the mood and narrative in a scene and story, while also projecting a sense of anticipation and meaning in each scene.

The editing in Kill Bill is absolutely breathtaking as we see a number of different editing styles being used, such as the use of split screens and jump cuts that seem to draw you into each scene and simply makes the character’s and the story jump off of the screen in a way many films cannot touch. With one single shot of the bride’s beaten and furious face early in the film, Tarantino simply tells you the story and all that you need to know about the character and the film without The Bride speaking a word.

Tarantino also does a beautiful job of using black and white film in order to depict time and the memories of Black Mamba. This tactic not only helps to organize a film that is shot out of sequence, but also adds reality to the scenes and helps the audience to understand why the bride has come to be the person she is, as black and white scenes also show The Bride in happier times and a demeanor much different then the revenging heroine we now see on screen.

In a scene right before the bride fights Vernita (Cooperhead) we see a moment in which the reaction of Vernita is frozen for what seems to be 10 to 15 frames. It is a very subtle touch that helps you see the shock she is experiencing in seeing Black Mamba in her home. Even the use of the home with its art deco style and bright colors, as well as Tarantino making a point in letting the audience know the home is in Pasadena which is known for its art cinema and yuppie style, as well as it’s wealth of Asian restaurants and martial arts studios and actors, seem to have purposely been driven into the film.

His use of jump cuts and split screens that seemed to be executed perfectly seemed to help the audience feel every aspect of this film especially when we see the bride slamming her rapists head in the door over and over again, as we see it shot from different angles with invisible edits, that make you feel as if you are seeing this scene in one continuous and flawless shot.

Another flawless shot that in other films may have seemed meaningless was the shot of the bride and her challenge to make her big toe move after being in a coma for 5 years. As this scene begins we see a long shot of her face that cuts to a long shot of her resting feet in the truck, as the camera moves closer and closer to her feet until the camera is now taking a medium shot. The direction quickly cuts to a medium shot of the brides face and then another quick cut to the camera continually moving closer and closer to her feet, and then another cut to The Bride’s face in a tight frame and close up and then back to the continually moving camera that is still moving to her feet, until we see a very tight close up of her feet and finally her big toe moving.

In this scene Tarantino truly introduces you to this character and what is inside of her heart as a person. You not only see her determination to move her feet which is written all over her face and in her words, but you see her heart and what is inside of her as a human being, including her spirit and determination which makes you believe that no matter how skilled or unskilled she may be, or how hurt she may be, she will not allow anyone to stop her from completing her mission. You seem to feel and experience her hope and determination in getting her toe to move as you can sense and feel that she has a mission that nothing will keep her from. By using the tight frame close up’s you almost feel as if she is trapped within her own body and her desire for revenge is ultimately what will be her reason for success. In this moment of silence the camera does a beautiful job of projecting her desire to move her toes. By using the continued longer and longer shot as she stares at her toe, she makes you feel as if her desire to move her toe is being projected in an imaginary line from her eyes to her toe, as we get a beautiful and continued point of view shot that is unlike any I have seen on film. The view that the camera gives you in a very tight and focused shot seems to go from a long and finally to a close up shot as it makes you feel as if you can feel her spirit, her heart and her desires being projected on to her toe.

Another significant accomplishment was how Tarantino was able to split screens and achieve a transition to a Japanese anime in a seemingly flawless method that almost made you feel as if the animated character’s further enhanced the story and were as real as the actual actors we had been seeing on screen. It was a beautiful and innovative decision to make and pays off very well in this film and further enhances its art cinema and cult appeal.

As the story further moves alone and we are introduced to Sofia Fatale, (Julie Dreyfus) Go-Go Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama) and Johnny Mo (Gordon Liu) Tarantino does a wonderful job of using a freeze frame and flashbacks to help establish these characters and introduce the audience to them and their role in the story. By using multiple storylines Tarantino helps you to understand and know each character and their roles throughout the film without confusing the audience, which is an art onto itself.

A number of scenes with Kuriyama’s character Go-Go were especially effective in helping us to know her character, especially the bar scene when we see her completely out of character, or rather in a more natural state of leisure that reminds you of a femme fatale who is used to getting what she wants. The use of close up’s and medium shots, as well as tight framing is especially helpful in helping us to know her character and her obvious sexuality in this scene. This scene in particular gives her character more depth and meaning, as the use of close ups and jump cuts in the fight scene still shows us another side of Go-Go as a skilled martial artists and fighter with some of the most memorable moves and scenes from the film.

One scene in particular that stood out was when Boss Tanaka insults O-Ren’s American heritage. Before he makes this statement O-Ren is sitting, but it seems before he can finish his words, the camera shows her feet running across the table to him. In most cases directors would have surely been tempted to show the entire character’s body as she runs across the table, but Tarantino’s decision to just show her running feet was in itself masterful and magnificent piece of direction that made the scene more interesting then a full body shot. The ultimate swinging of her sword and Boss Tanaka’s detached head rolling to a stand still and a close up gave a very unique and different perspective then most directors would have took. By showing less, instead of more Tarantino made this scene more interesting and gave it more depth in much the same way a romantic, or love scene is more interesting, meaningful and compelling when the director chooses to show less to the audience and leaves them using their imagination.

The use of non digetic sound or music in the film is also very interesting and different in many ways then most Hollywood films.  The music in Kill Bill is for the most part seemingly soft and meek like what is reflected in Asian culture, but what surprises the audience is how the music does not necessarily prepare you for what is about to come, but instead sets you up for surprises as the scenes seem to explode with action, and unconventional scenes.

Another very interesting use of camera angles and editing can be seen when The Bride pulls up next to Sofie as she is driving in her car. In this scene three shots are cut very quickly together. We first hear the phone ring and the camera takes us to a medium shot of Sofie on her phone, then a close up and finally a very extreme close up of her lips as she speaks. We then see The Bride as she is riding next to Sofie on her motorcycle as she is having black and white flashbacks about the last time she saw Sofie standing over her as she laid on the floor bleeding in the church. The use of noir techniques such as low key lighting and bright colors in this scene which along with a slight look of ambience and new art reflected from the bright lights, seem to project a midst of ambiance and fog that looks simply spectacular and exciting to see, as we get a taste of the Tokyo skyline and night life, as well as a peaceful and beautiful ambience that the mood seems to project.

The use of color in the House of Blue Leaves fight between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii is also beautiful to see as well, as we see the contrast in colors used beautifully as they seem to reflect a certain meaning and mood. The beautiful contrast of colors between the snow and the night is true brilliance in many ways as it gives you a sense of noir that makes each character stand out against the brilliance of the pure white snow and beautiful dark blue colors in the sky. The contrast of the light that shines through the yellow blinds of the shoji from the kusakabe house looks pure noir and is beautiful against the white falling snow as we also see the contrast with the snow on the ground, which further helps the two woman stand out as the draw their swords against the beautiful back drop.

The eventual blood that is eventually drawn from O-Ren Ishii when she is cut by The Bride holds another significant meaning as it falls upon the white snow and in beautiful contrast to the snow as it signifies an event the audience did not see coming, or could believe, as the once indestructible O-Ren Ishii’s red blood signifies her death, while the white snow seems to signify the purity and the just cause that The Bride’s mission has been.

While I feel this may be overlooked by many I feel it is important to signify and bring attention to the beautiful job of casting and acting in Kill Bill. If this film would have been shot with any other actors other then those main characters in this film I feel it would not have been as effective and possibly not even the cult classic it has become. From Uma Thurman’s role as The Bride, or Black Mamba, to Vivica A. Fox’s beautiful portrayal of Cooperhead, to Lucy Liu’s role that took on a life all its on, to Daryl Hannah’s role which took her out of the realm of roles we have normally seen her in, to that of Chiaki Kuriyama’s role as Go-Go which has took on a cult following all of its own, we can’t help but be glued to our seats with every scene in this film. Kuriyama gives her character a personality and depth that has become as popular as the film. These actors along with many others including David Carradine and Julia Dreyfus made this story come alive, as these actors brilliant acting and personalities gave this film a life all it’s own and a shelf life far beyond those of many films you may buy and never pick up again. These actors became their characters in every aspect and you can’t imagine this film being shot with anyone other then the actors used in this film.

This film simply leaves you wanting more and looking forward to a sequel and hoping this story continues. It is a beautiful piece of original film work and narratives, and may I dare say art work that simply takes your breath away and leaves you wanting more. Tarantino’s beautiful directing and some of the most interesting characters and personalities seen on film bring this story to life with beautiful detail and effectiveness that make you feel as if the story continues long after the film ends. Kill Bill makes you see the beauty and entertainment in a film that is by all accounts a film that is never boring to watch, no matter how many times you may see it.