Rent Kill Bill: Vol.1 (2003)

Bloody, brutal, and great - Kill Bill: Vol.1 review by CP Customer

Not usually my sort of film but I loved it.

Uma Thurman at her best. This is for me a tarantino film that will appeal to both sexes. It doesn't have too much of his usual complexity. There is his usual amount of blood and 'shock-value' Would recommend this but not if the kids are about!

Tarantino At His Most Original - Kill Bill: Vol.1 review by GI

This is Quentin Tarantino's extraordinarily entertaining homage to 70s kung fu films, samurai films, Japanese Anime and Hong Kong action cinema all wrapped up in an American 70s style thriller. Repeated viewings reveal more and more large and small film references littered throughout. Considering Tarantino's output to date Kill Bill Vol 1 is arguably his most original film. He brings in just about every cinematic trick he can including the switching to black & white to avoid turning the bloodshed from cartoonish violence to stomach retching gore and the overall sheer fun of the entire film make it a continuing pleasure and despite it's stylisation it never comes across as self-indulgent, even though it so clearly is. Told in a series of 'Chapters' that play around with the timescales of the narrative this is a revenge story. A former member of an elite assassination team, known as The Bride (Uma Thurman), wakes from a four year coma, and goes on the rampage to kill the four former members of her team and her boss, Bill (David Carradine), after they murdered her entire wedding party for reasons yet to be revealed. The decision by Tarantino to separate his story into two films has been oft discussed and it's not because of the trepidation of releasing a long film (Tarantino has proved since he's happy to put out very long films), but it's that he so obviously changes his influences for the sequel making them very different in style. This is a fantastical and bold piece of American film making. And a wonderful soundtrack too. Tarantino hasn't always got it right but here he really does.

Tom and Jerry for the Kung Fu Kids - Kill Bill: Vol.1 review by CP Customer

Kill Bill is larger than life - just like the genre to which it pays overt homage. Recognise this and you won’t go wrong. But if you’re the kind of person who thinks that generations of kids watching Tom & Jerry cartoons is the reason the world’s in such a mess, then give it a miss.