Quentin Tarantino is arguably the best film-maker of his generation. His ability and passion to tell stories through film is second to none. "Kill Bill" bears witness to Tarantino's love of film by referencing a variety of genres such as blacksploitation, marital arts, anime, spaghetti westerns, and superhero movies. Some might find it easy to dismiss him as merely a movie fan who makes movies about other movies. I argue that he's far more creative than that. He draws upon these genres for inspiration and creates stories that are fresh, intelligently written, and compelling to watch. For example, in the third act of volume 2, Bill, played by the late David Carradine, shoots [Uma Thurman's character] with a dart filled with truth serum forcing her to answer his many questions. While waiting for the serum to take effect, Bill monologues about his fascination with comic books and, in particular, superhero mythology. "The point emerges" as Bill compares [Uma Thurman's character's] alter-ego, Arlene Plympton, with Superman's alter-ego, Clark Kent. No one but Tarantino could reference comic books in a film and make the dialogue sound so interesting.In the realm of cinematography, he "pulls out all the stops" using a variety of camera techniques like split-screens, long-shots, and fast close-ups on the eyes. Some of these techniques can be traced backed to Martin Scorsese, one of his biggest influences. Of course, do I even need to mention the music? I believe I can best describe the selection as cooler than Dante's ninth level of hell. "Kill Bill", while packed with dozens of exciting ideas, can be enjoyed simply as fun movie viewing which, in my opinion, is a trademark of an excellent director.
The Box Set isn't anything extraordinary. Based on my own copy, all that I can determine is that the Box Set contains the regular DVDs............................. in a display box. Unless you are obsessive over display boxes, you could do just as well to buy the two movies separately either online or at your local movie retail store. I personally enjoy the DVD extras but don't be deceived. The Box Set doesn't contain any additional DVD extras.
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REGARDING THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR: First off, The Weinstein Company owns the rights to "The Whole Bloody Affair" when it arrives, so you can't fault Disney for releasing the one and only cut of this movie that they own. They do not, have not and will not have the ability to put out "The Whole Bloody Affair".And if you're waiting for "The Whole Bloody Affair" I hope you have other things to occupy your time. "TWBA" was first mentioned in 2004, and it's since been four long years without literally ANY actual progress on the front of that cut surfacing. The cut is NOT yet finished. I think people are under the impression that foreign cuts of KB are "TWBA" and they are NOT. Quentin has NOT YET CUT "THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR" TOGETHER AT ALL. Every year he makes a promise that he's about to get to it, to no avail. I wouldn't say I'm actually skeptical it will ever come out (I'm sure Quentin wants to do it) but I'm not exactly holding my breath anymore either.
So, in conclusion: Not only is "The Whole Bloody Affair" NOT coming out tomorrow or something, but it's not likely to come out for quite a long time (especially with Quentin starting Inglorious Bastards), and when it does, it won't be through Buena Vista.
Thanks.
EDIT: In 2011, the completed "Whole Bloody Affair" did finally premiere at the New Beverly in Los Angeles for a week during programming selected by Tarantino (who owns a stake in the theater). There is still no release date for a home video version.
Read Best Reviews of Kill Bill - Volumes 1 & 2 (Amazon.com Exclusive) (2004) Here
I think a lot of reviewers are forgetting the fact that Kill Bill vol 1 and 2 are great movies. $40 for two great movies in high def isn't a bad deal.Back when this was released on DVD years ago people kept howling not to buy it because you should wait until The Whole Bloody Affair comes out. Well guess what, years later it still hasn't come out on any format. Stop holding your breath for it. Its supposed to be what, 5 hours long?
Also, these are the theatrical versions and i'm fine with that. I own the japanese versions and theres not much difference. Definitely not enough to miss out on owning such a great movie.
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Once upon a time in El Paso, Texas a wedding party is slaughtered execution style. However, it turns out that the Bride (Uma Thurman), who is pregnant, is not dead but in a coma. Four years later she wakes up, no longer pregnant, in time to save herself from insult being added to her injury. Then the Bride puts together her list of people to kill: (1) Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), (2) O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), (3) Budd (Michael Madsen), (4) Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), and (5) Bill (David Carradine). In "Kill Bill, Volume 1," the Bride only gets to the first two names on her list, albeit not in that order the way the film is cut, and then proceeds to the rest in Volume 2. This does not constitute a spoiler because you cannot have a film called "Kill Bill" that does at least get to the title character, regardless of the results. But then this was a do-it-yourself "Box Set" (I bought the two DVDs and they gave me a box to put together).There is more happening in the each film besides the kill list, such as an anime telling us how O-Ren Ishii became the Queen of the Tokyo underworld and the training sequence in which the Bride studies with the great Pai Mei. But in the first film the primary emphasis is on how the Bride takes out her first two victims and the triumph of style as substance, especially when style means fountains of blood gushing from human beings that would make Akira Kurosawa proud. With "Pulp Fiction" Tarantino made his impression upon our ears with scene after scene of great dialogue. No wonder the soundtrack for that film had clips of some of what came rolling off the tongues of the actors (usually Samuel L. Jackson, who only plays a corpse in these films). But with "Kill Bill, Volume 1" Tarantino's blood feast is mostly for the eyes. This film is not for everybody, but then what Quentin Tarantino film ever was?
The biggest complain about Volume 1 is that it has the two most memorable sequences in the entire epic, namely watching O-Ren Ishii and her posse walk glide into the House of Blue Leaves with the blasting soundtrack giving them energy and the final showdown in an exquisite garden at night with gently falling snow where O-Ren in her white kimono and the Bride in her yellow biker suit do their dance of death with Japanese steel. Nothing in Volume 2 tops either of those scenes, which is not necessarily a bad thing, just a cinematic reality.
The caveat when Mirimax decided to split this four-hour revenge film into two volumes was that those who sensed a lack of character development and motivation in Volume 1 would be appeased by what was put forth in Volume 2, and this is indeed the case. We finally get to go back and see a couple of pivotal scenes set before the "beginning" of the film's opening, such as the massacre at the Two Pines wedding chapel. The net result is that character is more important than killing in the last half of the film, which makes sense because it would really be virtually impossible for the Bride to slice and dice more opponents than she did at the House of Blue Leaves.
I watched Volume 1 on DVD again before I went to see Volume 2 in the theater, which I thought would put me perfectly in the narrative flow. However, Quentin Tarantino has set up his audience just to play with their minds, which, of course, is what he was doing from the start and at the climax of this film I was not at all sure who, if anyone, was going to come out alive. Certainly what happens with numbers 3 and 4 are not what you expected after seeing the fate of numbers 1 and 2, but that certainly puts what happens with the final name on the list up for grabs.
There are a lot of oppositions between the two halves of this film. The beautiful setting of the duel between the Bride and O-ren in the gentle falling snow is countered by the showdown with Budd (Michael Madsen) in the harsh sunlight of his trailer in the desert. Having devoted an entire chapter to Hattori Hanzo creating his most perfect sword for the Bride, it is amazing how hard it is to get the sword out of its scabbard in this one. Volume 1 was a feast for the eyes, but in Volume 2 Tarantino's dialogue becomes more prominent, although not quite up to the level of "Pulp Fiction." But the dialogue is important because before we get around to the titular business of this film, the Bride and Bill have got to have themselves a conversation. Sound also matters more in this film: there is one sequence that is effectively done in the dark.
I am barely acquainted with the genre of Hong Kong films that Tarantino was apparently weaned on, so everything is fairly new to me and consequently smacks more of homage than parody, which is no doubt the director's intent. I probably will not go out and check out some of the films that inspired Tarantino to do "Kill Bill" which have been pointed out to me, because they will undoubtedly pale in comparison to the slicked up version that he is serving for our American palates. All things considered, I have a definite preference for Volume 1, which seems to run counter to the prevailing sentiments, but it took me a while to be comfortable with how the two parts fit together. The key thing is that they do, without Volume 2 being simply more of the same, because it is definitely not. There is something to be said for Tarantino pulling out all the stops just to have fun.
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