By Tanya Batson-Savage, Staff ReporterIN DAYS of old pirates (or whoever did their writing for them) would leave warnings for other seafarers. Kill Bill: Volume 1 should have such a warning. At the end of every advertisement or on every poster it should state, 'Herein lies big budget, unadulterated violence', because simply rating it 'R' is not enough. The latest (fourth) of Quentin Tarratino's flicks, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 states exactly what it is in the title. So, it should surprise no one to learn that Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a bloody kill-fest from the very bloody beginning to the even bloodier end.
As such, one should leave all common sense at the door of the theatre. Only a love for blood, gore, swordplay and the kicking of gluteus maximus is required inside. Anything else will only hamper any enjoyment of the flick.
That said, only three more things need to be said about Kill Bill: Vol. 1: a) IT is bloody, b) it IS bloody, and c) it is BLOODY! That really should prepare anyone for what they find in this movie.
FILMS
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 clearly takes its influences from four kinds of films: the spaghetti westerns, blaxspoitation, kung fu movies and anime. With this combination, no wonder it is a festival of violence. The flick quickly gets to the point where the violence quickly becomes hilariously ridiculous. After one sees blood covering the screen from gushing mutilations, the rest of it is just plain funny. It seemed to have been taken out of the imagination of a very troubled child. Rather than merely turning up its nose at logic, Kill Bill takes a samurai sword and cuts it to shreds. Like the heroes of old kung fu movies, the heroine of Kill Bill (The Bride/ Black Mamba) has extreme fighting abilities and great mental powers. Ninja-like powers. So, if you are willing to believe that a ninja can stop their heart rate for a period of time, then you are ready for this movie. Well-played by Uma Thurman, The Bride is an anti-hero seeking vengeance against all the members of her former squad, the 'Deadly Viper Assassination Squad'. Okay, that name bears repeating: The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad'.
All these other assassins teamed up with Bill (whose face you never see) to kill The Bride on her wedding day. Unfortunately, for members of a group named Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, they were sloppy enough to leave her alive. When she wakes up, she sets about killing everyone who participated in the attempt to kill her. A few other people are thrown in the way, to extend the violence. As a result, the action culminates with a fight scene which must have stretched for close to a half an hour.
Of course, the fighting uses some great choreography and much of it manages to not look like the too slick-wire work featured in most of today's action flicks.
To top it off, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is beautifully and imaginatively shot. The inclusion of amine, literally, and as an influence allows it to rise to the extreme in the flick's bloodiness.
Kill Bill is in part the hardcore version of Charlie's Angels. The women in here are the Power Puff Girls when Chemical X has overridden all the sugar and spice. Along with Thurman, Lucy Lui, Daryl Hannah and Vivica Fox make up the very fatale femmes who populate this film. Of course, they all really serve one purpose... to die horribly.
With all the violence, the great cinematography and some rather witty lines, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is destined to be a classic with all those who love violence simply for violence's sake.
