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Kill Bill: Vol. 2


MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
178 .......................... 173

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May 20th

—— 2004 ——
KILL BILL
vol. 2
—— drama ——
REWATCH

Quentin Tarantino’s finishes his turbulent two-part tribute to the forgotten times
of blood-spattered samurai surrealism, with a much calmer and more controlled second half


After the foot-fetish-filled director confidently crossed buckets of blood off his bucket list during the first film, he now dives deeper into the plenteous pools of blood to find out why they are there to begin with. Volume one delivers the message of revenge in black and white, literally, for the audience to understand her vengeful voyage, while volume two paints the story in more piercing and vibrant colors. We actually get to understand and learn about the character of The Bride, instead of distantly observing her ferocious façade through a revenge-filled rampage, while slitting and splitting through every renegade responsible...

But in terms of the visual wonders though, it is actually the other way around. Just like a painting, it is the first volume, which acts as the flashy foreground that catches your eye, while the second volume is the deeper lines laying behind all the colorful artistry, which ultimately makes you linger more in the overall artwork. Volume two definitely “shows off” several places throughout, but it never feels too obvious or too much, in terms of presentation and cinematic homage. I also feel like the fun lies within the script during the second film, while volume one had all the fun on the surface. But thankfully, all the gushing veins wasn’t at all done in vain, because the second film picks up on this aspect. All the blood spilled in the first is now being examined in the second, and slowly washing away the blood begins to reveal what The Bride, or Beatrix Kiddo, is actually hiding underneath. Why was she so superior with a samurai sword, when did she meet Bill and who are the other four people making out the rest of her carefully selected death list?

As I pointed out earlier, the dialogue in this film is absolutely tremendous, and also the main reason why this is my favorite film from Tarantino’s phenomenal filmography. Yes, you read that right. Out of all his well-respected films, this is the one that hits the spot for me. Despite the many flaws of the first film, this one somehow plays out completely different and succeeds in almost every way. With a script that sparkles with high-spirited energy; a directorial approach learning towards the golden era of westerns; uniquely crafted multi-layered characters played by some amazing actors, and last but not least, amazing dialogue! Oh wait, I already said that a few times right? But hey, it's true… On top of that, everything is laid out within some very memorable scenes, which all leads up to a fantastic final act, which might be the best use of an anti-climatic ending that I have ever seen. The whole bloody affair of ‘Kill Bill’ is a picture-perfect "portrayal of betrayal", which as a whole is an amazing experience; but the second volume beats out the first by several miles in my opinion. On the other hand, if you want full-blown entertainment volume one will deliver that and more to you, while the second is just masterful filmmaking at its finest!




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