Review: Kill Bill, Vol. 2

I didn’t get what all the fuss was about with Kill Bill, Vol. 1, but the second volume is a very different beast. Whereas volume one, to me, was a film geek run amok, spewing insider references and showing off his technique, Kill Bill, Vol. 2 throws away most of the overloaded operatic and cartoonish stylings of the first volume and starts treating the characters as people–with some notable exceptions–and delivers a plot.

The beginning does beg for some editing, as Tarantino d-r-a-g-s the movie along to set up the tone, but once it starts firing on all four cylinders it is actually and surprisingly touching.

The end is some of Tarantino’s best work with superb scripting and top-notch acting. Kill Bill, Vol. 2 is one of the few movies in later years I’ve seen where I honestly had no idea how it was going to end and desperately wanted to know.

On the downside, the Pai Mei sequences were so clownish, off the wall, and out of step with the tone of the rest of the movie that they were completely jarring.

Nevertheless, all in all, a pleasant surprise.