It's rare to find a film that is thrilling, hilarious, disturbing, dramatic, emotionally moving, and powerful. It's even rarer to find a film that has all of these qualities often on the screen at the same time. "Kill Bill Vol. 2" is the second half of one of the best films of last year. Originally meant to be a four hour epic, "Kill Bill" was split into two volumes. It's amazing that two separate halves of the same movie can work so well. It's even more amazing when you look at the big picture.

As you may recall, Volume 1 began with an assassin known as "The Bride" (Uma Thurman) being betrayed by her leader, Bill (David Carradine) and the other assassins in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (which includes Lucy Lui, Darryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, and Vivica A. Fox). In volume 1, the Bride, after awakening from a four year coma caused by Bill's gunshot to her head and realizing that she has lost her baby, goes on a bloody rampage, taking out Vernita Greene (Fox) and O-Ren Iishi (Lui). Now, the bride is after Budd (Madsen), Elle (Hannah), and finally, Bill.

If that paragraph made you giggle, then you have discovered the point of "Kill Bill." It's not a movie to be taken seriously. It's an homage to martial arts and samurai films that writer/director Quentin Tarantino watched as a child. Both volumes constantly change genres. You may recall that Volume 1 started as a 1970s exploitation film, became a samurai film, and concluded as a Japanese anime, where the gore erupted in geysers and limbs and heads flew. Volume 2, on the other hand, starts as a western, becomes a Kung-Fu movie, and concludes as a genre that is all by itself: The Tarantino film.

Tarantino, who created the masterpieces "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs" is one of the greatest filmmakers to have ever lived. Few directors seem to have as much fun making movies as he does. For him, it's not just a job, it's a passion. You can feel his energy and love for his work flow from the screen. It's infectious. If an audience member is willing to let his often brutal and harsh moments pass and look deeper, they will discover a deeper meaning.

This especially goes for "Kill Bill." Many critics and moviegoers were turned off by the lack of depth and often cartoonish nature of Volume 1. This is one of the reasons why "Kill Bill" should have remained one film. The thin but exciting characters of volume 1 become human in Volume 2. What starts off as a stylish and exciting action film becomes a dramatic film for the ages. As we learn more and more about the backgrounds for each character, we understand them, like them, hate them, and finally, connect with them. Volume 2 has less violence than Volume 1, but that does not make it any less exciting. It's a richer, deeper, and overall, better story. The final themes are not revenge, or "justice," as were those in Volume 1, but love, courage, suffering, and parenthood.

With these themes aside, "Kill Bill" is simply downright fun to watch. Uma Thurman's "The Bride," who was a warrior in the first one, has some of her inner layers revealed here, and she becomes a warrior with purpose. Thurman deserves notice here. Not many actresses can portray the angry bravado of the Bride during the action scenes, and even less actresses can express the genuine emotion that she ends up showing. Rather than remain the memorable action hero she was in "Volume 1," she becomes a memorable and heart breaking character here.

The rest of the cast deserves notice. Michael Madsen, who is most known as the psychopathic Mr. Blonde in Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs," is Bill's brother Budd. Madsen is a good actor, who in recent years, has been making very bad acting choices. Here, he becomes a great villain in a film with four other fantastic villains. Darryl Hannah is even better as Elle Driver, who was The Bride's main rival when they were both assassins. Her and the bride face off in an exciting fight that had the audience laughing, screaming, and covering their eyes. Then there's Bill.

We never saw Bill's face in Volume 1. He was a mysterious killer who seemed one dimensional, cruel, and twisted. Here we meet him. Played by David Carradine, Bill is one of the most complex and involving villains since Darth Vader. As much as we despise him at first, as we get to know him through flashbacks, we start to LIKE him. What the Bride and Bill both prove, is that within every killer, there is a nice person hidden. Carradine is excellent in the film, and his last scene in the movie is one of the best scenes in any of Tarantino's films.

Another fun character is Pai Mei (Gordon Lui), who, in flashback, trains the bride through some amusing scenes. Speaking of flashbacks, like Volume 1 (and all of Tarantino's movies), Volume 2 takes place out of order. It's not a gimmick either. It works extremely well and increases dramatic tension.

Well edited, shot, acted, written, and directed, "Kill Bill Volume 2" is a masterpiece. "Kill Bill Volume 1" is also a masterpiece. What do you say when two separate halves of the same film are masterpieces? You pray for the day both films are edited together and released seamlessly onto DVD. Because you just don't have a masterpiece. You have one of the greatest films of all time.

© Written by Jacob Hall

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - A Richard Propes - A- Jacob Hall - A

TC Candler's Comment

Watching both volumes of this wonderfully energetic epic, one is reminded how much Quentin Tarantino adores movies. His enthusiasm in paying homage to the westerns, kung-fu flicks and gangster thrillers that have shaped his life is infectious and tremendously welcome considering the vast sea of banality churned out each year by studios who are more infatuated with the bottom line than with the artistic merit.

'Kill Bill: Volume 2' is a more talkative conclusion than one would expect after having seen 'Volume 1'. Oh sure, it has tons of action sequences and tension filled scenes, but there are signature Tarantino conversations littered throughout. This film gives more weight to the first, explaining and giving dimension to the characters and their actions.

The film picks up where the other left off, as The Bride (Thurman) is half way through her list of people to kill. Budd (Madsen), Elle Driver (Hannah) and of course Bill (Carradine) are still to be found and disposed of in a gruesome manor.

What makes Tarantino so wonderful is his layering of plot threads. He is able to intersperse sequences so that we are given vital information which we are not immediately aware that we will need later in the storyline. He has such complete control of his timing and rhythm as a filmmaker, and keeps us unaware of that directorial manipulation by using humor and wit and intelligence amidst a blur of action and violence. This talent makes watching a Tarantino film an event. I am already looking forward to his next film.

The drudgery of having to slog through another special effects bonanza (yawn), or a teeny-bopper romance (puke), or an animated kiddie-flick (ugh), or a gross-out comedy (frown)... All of that nonsense is made tolerable by those dozen or so films each year that show some originality, flare, passion and brilliance. It is almost guaranteed that a Tarantino film will possess those qualities and be one to remember. That's why they already have courses at major universities devoted entirely to his small repertoire of films.

I only have two quibbles with the entirety of 'Kill Bill'. The film should have been released as one long movie. I don't mind the splice too much, except for the fact that Miramax charged me twice when they said it was not a decision based on financial gain. But I feel the film will be a delight to watch as a whole when it is released as a special edition DVD sometime this Christmas.

I must also admit to being a tad underwhelmed by the final few minutes of the saga. I like the fact that it ended in a manor that was completely unexpected... but... it almost ended with a whimper. I am making a mountain out of a mole-hill here, but I think there is a better ending to be found deep the recesses of QT's mind.

I also want to send out my mocking laughs to those who left the moment the credits started to roll. True film lovers never leave a film that they like the moment the writing hits the screen... I only do that to films I hate. It is disrespectful to the filmmaker and to the other members of the audience who don't want to peer around you and your tub-o-popcorn to see what they paid for. Anyway, those who left missed two more sequences of film. And I hope Tarantino doesn't include them on the DVD so that you'll never get a chance to see them.

As for the 'Kill Bill' legacy... I think it's a marvelous display of a genius filmmaker having delirious fun with all of his influences and showing off every ounce of talent that he can pour onto the screen. Is it as earth-shattering as 'Pulp Fiction'? No. Is it as well written as 'Pulp' or 'Reservoir Dogs'? No. 'Kill Bill' is not an example of masterpiece filmmaking. It is too silly and over-the-top for that description. But is an example of masterpiece moviemaking that very few people will ever be able to duplicate. There is a big difference between filmmaking and moviemaking, and Tarantino is a master of both. His gaggle of imitators should find their own paths otherwise they will languish in paled comparison to 'THE MAN'.

The full feature will be a joy to watch over the years. It will hold up very well over time. The first volume made my Top Ten List for 2003 and I have very little doubt that the second will make my 2004 list. I hope it isn't 2010 before Tarantino makes one of my lists again.

Richard Propes' Comment

"Kill Bill: Vol. 2" is a companion film to what, in actuality, should have been a single film from Quentin Tarantino. While many have disagreed, Vol. 2 is my favorite of the two volumes and kept me mesmerized with crisp dialogue, hypnotic action and wondrous cinematography.

My fondness for volume 2 forced quite the dilemma...Is this, in fact, one of the best films ever made? Do I give it an "A"? This, in my case, means an automatic place in my Top 100. Or, do I drop Vol. 1 a notch and put this film in the low "A" range...thereby, justifying the fact that, while mesmerizing, I cannot justify placing it among the "greatest ever" films.

As you can tell, I opted for the latter solution by dropping Vol. 1 to a B+. My gut feeling is that if both films were combined it may, in fact, earn a place in my Top 100 for the sheer brilliance of action, dialogue and cinematography. As a man who does not tolerate violence, care for action films or have any interest in the martial arts I consider it astounding how much I enjoyed and appreciated this film.