Kill Bill I

2003, directed Quentin Tarantino

Stylized violence/realistic violence -- which is it? Sylized characters/realistic characters? Do I connect with the characters and plot, or watch from afar? Eventually I decided to stop caring and just watch.

Tarantino's baby, the Kill Bill saga, is visually amazing and entertaining, but I was confused by the emotional content. And sadly, I even got bored with all the fighting at one point.

Uma Thurman plays an assassin brutally attacked and left for dead at her own wedding. She survives and goes on a streak of ultimate vengance, killing off her attackers. There are humorous moments and beautiful moments, and lots and lots of violence.

For me, I most enjoyed the Asian sections in the second half of the movie. Both the characters and visuals become more clearly stylized (to my eye) and I was able to more thoroughly enjoy myself.

I was left feeling like this was one of those movies I needed to see, but not a movie I loved. I might also have been foiled by the enthusiasm of friends, giving me higher expectations than appropriate.

Part two of Kill Bill comes out shortly (mid April 2004 in the USA), and I'll see it at a cheaper theater. Plus, I like the tagline of the film, "Revenge is a dish best served cold" (Pierre Ambroise Francois Choderios de LaClos (1741-1803) in his 1782 book Les Liasons Dangereuses: "La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid.").