Review: Kill Bill vol. 2

We once again join The Bride (Uma Thurman) on her quest for vengeance against the people who left her for dead at the wedding chapel. In this outing she stalks laconic Budd (Michael Madsen) and cold-blooded Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), before finally tracking down the big boss Bill (David Carradine), who has a nasty surprise in store for her. We also flashback to The Bride’s tutelage in martial arts by the cantankerous, white-bearded Pai Mei (Gordon Liu).

 

The second half of Quentin Tarantino’s ode to martial arts cinema, spaghetti westerns, and other exploitation fare, this 2004 film was at the time his most mature film as far as I’m concerned. I actually agree with his decision to split this story into two halves, because although both are terrific films, this film and “vol. 1” really are stylistically quite different. “Kill Bill vol. 1” was QT’s tribute to Bruce Lee, blaxploitation, and anime, with occasional doses of spaghetti western. This time out, we get something of a Shaw Brothers Shaolin monk movie tribute mixed with spaghetti western. The resulting difference is really in terms of pacing, I think. This one’s more meditative, more of a dialogue-driven revenge saga, whereas the first film really was a blood-spurting action extravaganza, straight-up, fast-paced schlocky revenge saga. I mean, only in this film are you likely to find a climax where the hero and villain engage in a long dialogue (about Superman, no less!), and a short burst of violence, instead of the other way around.

 

We open with a little too much ‘Previously on “Batman”’-type recapping for my liking, but after that, this one’s a winner, with David Carradine’s first appearance playing the pan flute a cute little in-joke for those in the know (“Circle of Iron”, AKA “The Silver Flute”). Also, while I don’t think Samuel L. Jackson’s cameo is particularly necessary, Bo Svenson is amusing as the reverend. The film isn’t as much ‘fun’ as the first film, in the schlocky entertainment sense, but it has different aims. It’s definitely entertaining, but a different kind of entertainment to the first film, hence why I think it was a good decision to make two films out of the story instead of one long one. One need only look at the use in music in this one, as opposed to the first film to see a difference between the two. Here the use of music isn’t just Tarantino being cool for the movie-loving sake of it, it actually fits the spaghetti western vibe of much of the film (there’s a lot of Morricone grabs in this), and matches the rhythm of scenes. The first film did that too, but not as much, and not quite as effectively (Both films use songs by the awesome Isaac Hayes, by the way. Here it’s the funktastic theme from “Three Tough Guys” used in Pai Mei’s initial schooling of The Bride). Make sure you stay for the end credits to hear the absolutely kick-arse ‘Malaguena Salerosa’ by Chingon (featuring Robert Rodriguez). It’s a blistering, Mariachi & electric guitar-flavoured rock song that I still listen to even now.

 

The use of B&W for the flashback scenes, pretentious or not, is effective. David Carradine’s weathered face in particular, looks perfect in B&W. Even more so than in the first film, QT is just as concerned with visual storytelling here as he is with dialogue and plotting. There’s also some bravura camerawork throughout by veteran cinematographer Robert Richardson (“Shine a Light”, “Hugo”, “Django Unchained”), particularly one shot moving from the top of Michael Madsen’s trailer slowly down to the underneath of it where The Bride is hiding. QT has quite clearly grown as a filmmaker by this point, and would only get even better after this film (“Death Proof” excepted).

 

Also, QT once again has assembled an interesting cast who give really solid performances. Yet again, it’s Uma Thurman towering over all here. Let’s face it, there aren’t too many action/exploitation flicks out there that would offer Uma Thurman a gut-wrenching, emotional scene like the one she has here when she finally tracks Bill down and gets the shock of a lifetime. Thurman doesn’t remotely disappoint in her best-ever performance as far as I’m concerned (Also, shout out to her Kiwi stunt double Zoe Bell, who does amazing work on both films and would be one of the only good things about “Death Proof”). David Carradine is rock solid as Bill, fully on show in this one, and quite an interesting, complex villain unlike any you’ve probably come across. As for the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad members, Daryl Hannah gets a bigger showing this outing and it’s her best-ever work. She’s wonderfully cold-blooded and soulless. But let’s face it, outside of these films and “Roxanne”, she’s never shown much talent, so perhaps I’m damning her with faint praise. I love the eyepatch and obvious “Clockwork Orange” close-up, too. She and Thurman have a fun rumble in a trailer, too. I think Michael Madsen is actually even better than Hannah here. In his best performance since the remake of “The Getaway”, his loser-ish, run-down Budd has just enough wiliness and brutality to still be a threat to The Bride. And yet, there’s a hint of resignation and weariness to him. He acknowledges that he has wronged this woman and deserves to die…but since he’s still a prick, he’s not going to make it easy for her, either. It’s a really excellent performance from Madsen, even if one has to admit he’s not got the greatest range as an actor. Perhaps the most fun surprise here is Shaw Brothers veteran Gordon Liu popping up in his second role in these films as Pai Mei, a well-known film from several Shaw Brothers martial arts films (Including “Executioners From Shaolin”, which co-starred Gordon Liu) and Chinese folklore (and sometimes called Pak Mei). However, in QT’s universe, the character is a little wittier and sillier. His introduction via Bill as a cranky old bastard who hates westerners and takes no shit is hilarious, even before Liu himself appears on screen. He’s an absolute hoot, as is Michael Parks in his second role as an acquaintance of Bill’s, a Mexican pimp named Esteban. It’s only a small role, but I think it’s yet again the best-ever work by Parks that I’ve seen. On smaller notes, it’s always great to see veteran B character actor Sid Haig, here as a bartender, though it’s a shame his role isn’t bigger. As for Larry Bishop…no comment. Fuck it, I will comment. He can’t act and he looks like a stupid leathery skunk. There, I feel better now.

 

I referred to the climax earlier, but it really does beg repeating that Tarantino practically gets away with murder by having his action opus end with two long dialogue scenes, and he really does pull it off. It’s some of his best-ever dialogue, as it’s cool and interesting but not just for its own sake. It actually pertains to the characters and their situation. That Superman monologue is really something. Having said that, if I were to nitpick here, I’d have shorn some of this section of its length. Did we really need the dialogue-free bit set to a sleepy rendition of ‘She’s Not There’? I don’t think so.

 

Although not nearly as humorous, jocular, violent, or action-packed as the first film, this one has its own, more methodically-paced pleasures. Thurman is terrific, the supporting cast are more than game, and there’s some really interesting dialogue in this one. Just don’t expect as much action, as this one’s a different beast.

 

Rating: B+