A barely watchable mess, a tangled montage of fashion gloss streaked in gore, a cocktail party in an abattoir.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:216
Fresh:184
Rotten:32
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Kill Bill is nothing more than a highly stylized revenge flick. But what style!
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: After a six-year hiatus, Quentin Tarantino returns to the director's chair with KILL BILL. The movie proves once again that he is a hyperactive visionary and the master of cinematic coolness. Split... After a six-year hiatus, Quentin Tarantino returns to the director's chair with KILL BILL. The movie proves once again that he is a hyperactive visionary and the master of cinematic coolness. Split into two volumes by Miramax in order to ensure that Tarantino's vision would not be compromised (and presumably to sell more tickets), KILL BILL: VOL. 1 tells the first half of the sprawling story, which is quite simple at first glance. A female assassin, referred to as "The Bride" (Uma Thurman), is attacked on her wedding day. Dead are her soon-to-be husband and unborn child. However, she doesn't die. Four years later, she wakes up from a coma looking for revenge. Although her ultimate target is her former boss, Bill (David Carradine), it's quite clear that The Bride is saving the best for last. And before she can track him down, she must methodically take out the minions who ruined her life. VOLUME 1's targets include Vernita Green/Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox), Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus), and the heartless O-Ren Ishii/Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu). Using a blessed sword handmade by Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba), The Bride begins her relentless assault. Turning up the style and energy levels that he kept under a threshold with 1997's JACKIE BROWN, Tarantino's obvious glee and reverence for the underground kung fu action pictures of the '70s, and Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, makes for a stunning visual spectacle. Employing split screens, slow-motion, an anime sequence, and his trademark ultra-hip musical selections, Tarantino's film dares viewers to be unimpressed. [More]
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Chiaki Kuriyama
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Chiaki Kuriyama, Sonny Chiba, Gordon Liu, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Julie Dreyfus
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino
Producer: Lawrence Bender, Quentin Tarantino
Composer: RZA
Studio: Miramax Films
Reviews for Kill Bill Vol. 1
The characters are vivid enough to rise above [Tarantino's] cinematic nerdiness. Thurman is shockingly good.
A blood-stained love letter to exploitation movies that seems to be missing a few pages.
I didn't leave the cinema aching to see Volume Two (out in February), though I'm interested to learn how things work out.
Despite the (for some) outrageous amount of violence, Tarantino manages to stage these fight scenes with panache, opting for a tongue-in-cheek tone that elicits more chuckles than gasps of horror.
It lacks the trademark snappy dialogue but delivers fantastic fight scenes, a cool soundtrack and a dizzying array of cinematic tricks.
Has all the coolness and daring and wit through which Tarantino made his name. It delivers what we expected, and packs some shocking punches on top.
It's all bang, bang; no kiss, kiss. But this is still bravura film-making from a prodigious talent, and Thurman may yet prove its saving grace.
A hyper-violent, hyper-gory, kung-fu grindhouse flick. And there’s nothing at all wrong with that.
Perhaps the funniest thing about Kill Bill: Volume One is the realization that this ode to ultraviolence and Uma Thurman's feet is probably Quentin Tarantino's most personal film.
An eye-popping, blood-soaked, ingeniously choreographed thriller and Hong Kong homage that ultimately adds up to ... not much.
Kill Bill takes a cue from Spaghetti Western master Sergio Leone and turns every little twist and turn into a giant-sized operatic odyssey.
When people tell you it's bloody, they're not exaggerating. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot more. (And I loved Pulp Fiction)
With no real characters or ideas in sight, it seemed ultimately tiresome and forgettable.
Latest News for Kill Bill Vol. 1
October 02, 2009:
Weekly Ketchup: Threequels for Kill Bill, Transformers
This week's Ketchup includes new movies for Leonardo DiCaprio and Hugh Jackman, sequel news for Kill Bill and Transformers, two CGI animated movies about the weird twists and... More...
June 04, 2009:
David Carradine: 1936-2009
David Carradine, the film and television actor who lent his rugged persona to more than 100 films, was found dead in Thailand while on location for the film Stretch. Police said... More...
September 26, 2008:
Exclusive: David Carradine Cameo in Crank 2 says Statham
It's not just Death Race that boasts a cameo from legend David Carradine. According to star Jason Statham, speaking to RT this week ahead of the UK release of Death Race, the... More...
June 16, 2008:
RT on DVD: 70 More Minutes of The Incredible Hulk on Blu-Ray??
This week in DVD news, that long-awaited Kill Bill double-volume set may finally be on its way and Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier promises enough leftover Hulk... More...
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