Size Really Matters…
Considering the extremely long time since Tarantino directed last, it was always going to be interesting to see what he was going to do next. How, if at all, his techniques and choice of material has changed.
As was assumed by most of the civilised world that has heard of the man, it was going to be bloody. Great cataracts of the stuff duly erupted in key action sequences of the film, all extremely well choreographed, of course.
However, there seems to even more emphasis on stylising the action in Kill Bill than in any other Tarantino film I’ve seen. Anime style sequences interspersed with live shots that mirrored them ensured that we knew precisely where the director’s inspiration lied. It appears, that like Pulp Fiction, the flashbacks and ultravolence of the graphic novel still persists in his work, but this time, it is taken to a new degree. Some would say an extreme.
Besides the blood (which less flows, more sprays in vaguely comical fountains) the sheer variety of different cinematic devices that appear in the film is outstanding. An excellent silhouette scene, shots either lividly saturated or devoid of colour, split screens, animation, and an underpinning sense of a seventies style martial arts movie are all elements of a film that Tarantino has applied his encyclopaedic mind to for two years. His eye for detail is astonishing- even the introduction sequence emulates a seventies cinema screening. Most notable is the reference to the kung fu legend Bruce Lee- that yellow costume comes straight from his 1979 film Game of Death. Style, that of Kill Bill’s predecessors, or of Tarantino himself appears to take precedence.
The end result inevitably feels overworked at points, but it is well tempered by Uma Thurman’s laconic performance as The Bride, the vengeful killer at the centre of this movie. Riding around in a bright yellow Pussy Wagon, or in equally shocking biking gear and wielding a samurai sword with the qualities of a supercharged light sabre, Thurman is well used to balance aspects of the movie that would otherwise seem utterly absurd if handled by anyone with less composure.
Nonetheless, I did find myself laughing when the action was at its most intense. This is in no way a gritty film that explores the complications of revenge. When Thurman scrawls a death list to knock out the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, you get a sense that Tarantino was revelling in how unreal he could make this film, and how many strains of the kung fu- and revenge- movie he can weave into a whole. Then pump them all full of steroids.
So, I would recommend this just to enjoy the spectacle of a director as good as Tarantino test his dexterity and knowledge as far as he can push it. Don’t look for any complexities in the plot, however. This is truly something to enjoyed for its look, pace, and above all, style.
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