Kill Bill: Vol. 1

If there’s one film that loudly argues that Quentin Tarantino is an even better director than screenwriter, that would be Kill BillVol. 1. It’s an INCREDIBLY well shot series of micro-stories, whose grouping and method of (in)closure may be questionable, but every second fully reflects the inexhaustible genius of one anointed filmmaker. Unfortunately, Quentin uses his supporting actors as surprisingly passive pawns on a journey through East Asian cinematic attractions, and he often blatantly revels in his own audiovisual perfection, but it’s impossible not to love it. The film is one big goosebumps fest, caused by the unearthly staging of the action accompanied by one amazing track after another (although the final fight, for example, loses its impact quickly, mainly due to the annoying black-and-white composition), and the subjective length is somewhere around 80 minutes. It's a kind of unpretentious treat that is simply a joy to watch, even though it doesn't have that much to do with the sequel and works more like porn for geeks than a starter of a complex and layered story. 80% (11/04/2011)

The last time I met Bill was about twenty years ago. Since then, time has taken its cruel toll on me and David Carradine. I gave this film five stars back in the day, and I'd happily give it five stars again today because I enjoyed all those gory action scenes (yes, including the animated ones) and the cheesy clichés that Tarantino deliberately used in the film (with glee, I’m sure). I was even willing to get over all those many logic holes except for one. The waking up from a four-year coma was a bit too much for me. I guess I take it personally, but I just couldn’t get over that bullshit. I was only dead for four days, spent the next month staring intensely at the ceiling, and when they finally managed to sit me up after that relatively short period of time, I found that the speed of the earth's rotation had dramatically increased, so I had to be propped up to keep from collapsing. And then it took ten days of practice before my useless rubber limbs started resembling legs again. So, all that nonsense about just thirteen hours after four years made me take one star off my rating. Otherwise, the film was a standard Tarantino wackiness (just the way I like it) as in: a lot of severed body parts, oodles of blood (black and white, animated, and regular), and a bunch of over-the-top nonsense (the kind that I didn’t mind). I was just surprised by how light on dialogue it was. / Lesson learned: Enjoy life. (09/18/2022)

I really like older Tarantino films, and even though they are in genres that I don't particularly enjoy, Tarantino managed to direct them creatively and with added value, which every film fan must appreciate. Whether it was Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, or Jackie Brown, I always found something that enriched me. Kill Bill marked the beginning of the era of Tarantino films without added value, which may fascinate genre fans with their "purity," but I completely avoid them. Kill Bill pays homage to East Asian action films, which is something that doesn't appeal to me at all. The characters lack even minimal depth, and there's no need to talk about the screenplay. It is completely empty, purposeless nonsense, lacking emotions and character psychology. I would add that it has decent camera work and music, for which it deserves one star from me. Overall impression 25%. (02/16/2008)

Several years after the fading of unbearable hype, Kill Bill is still a spectacle that has no equal in the realm of multi-genre action. Despite Tarantino being somewhat annoying from a media standpoint during this period, his sense of revenge's tempo, the soundtrack, and the supporting characters were almost perfect. And when Hattori Hanzo appears and I swallow all previous prejudices, there is nothing left but to give it five stars. (04/20/2005)

I can't help it, but for me, this is still one of the best movies I have ever seen. Even multiple times. When someone asks me what my favorite movie is, "Kill Bill" is the first thing that comes to my mind. I'm not sure if it's true, but this mix of kung fu films with modern action, violence, dark humor, perversion, and absolutely great characters, is a guarantee that I will always have fun. I love B-movie production and this is definitely the best B-movie I have ever seen. And when I say this, I actually mean both movies, because both have something special. And just like during the first screening, I didn't fully appreciate the animated sequence, now I enjoy it to the fullest. Tarantino is simply my favorite and that hasn't changed over the years. (01/07/2014)