Plot: What’s it about?
For fans of Quentin Tarantino, the “Kill Bill” movies were just about all that were asked for and a bit more. While I still personally favor “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction”, there’s no doubt that I got some pleasure out of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Let’s face it, the man has a way of visually telling a story that very few other directors have. He can write, he can act (sort of) but one thing he needs to do is keep making films. He also needs to get off the Japanese/70’s thing, too. While “Kill Bill Vol. 1” introduced us to “The Bride” played by Uma Thurman, “Kill Bill Vol. 2” expands upon her character and the rest of the infamous, ill-fated list that rules her life. These movies reunite Uma Thurman with her “Pulp Fiction” director and Thurman even had a hand in writing the story. It’s no doubt one of her better performances and hopefully come Oscar nomination time, the ‘Academy’ will see fit to at least give her a chance at a little gold statue.
What’s “Kill Bill Vol. 2″ about? It’s not the same as the first, but at the heart of it is just a tale of revenge – plain and simple. I’ll go on the assumption that everyone reading this has seen the first installment (the two were originally supposed to be one movie and Tarantino split the two up) and are hungry for more. If not, then you might want to stop reading here…Still with me? Good. The Bride (Uma Thurman” has taken care of two names on the list. She’s learned that she has a child, which is about the only thing in the world that might stop her on her conquest to kill Bill (see, it’s not just the title of the movie – it actually has meaning). Her former allies are now her nemesis and they include: Elle (Daryl Hannah), the one eyed vixen who might just be just as dangerous as the bride herself. Budd (Michael Madsen), the bouncer who has a new home in the most desolate place on Earth. And then there’s Bill (David Carradine), who certainly has a lot more screen time than in the first installment. Can she pick the remaining members off her list and accomplish her ultimate goal?
Many feel that this was superior to the first version and I’m one of those who disagree. Is it good? Yes. Is it enjoyable? Certainly. And it’s a great movie, I just preferred Vol. 1 to this. We see a lot more character development from The Bride (and yes, for those wondering – we do find out her real name in this installment), particularly during her training sequence with Pai Mei (Chia Hui Liu). We see how she got as tough as she is, see some of her early roots and see her actual motivations as to why she’ll chop down nearly everything in her path just to kill her ex-husband. I don’t think this version is quite as bloody as the first and though there are some tense spots, it’s all about the story. I hesitate to mention too much more as I don’t want to give anything away, but true fans have already seen this and are probably just looking to see how it looks and how it sounds. Am I right? It’s no doubt that there will be some sort of “Ultimate” version in the future, but for the time being we do have “Kill Bill” (both volumes) on DVD and that’s a good thing.
Video: How does it look?
“Kill Bill Vol. 2”, just like the first, offers up a rather unique (if not stylized) anamorphic transfer. The film combines black and white with standard color, though gone is the animation that appeared in the first Volume. I don’t think it’s a fault of the transfer, but everything seems to be kind of oversaturated. The faces seem a bit muddy; though a majority of this does take place in the desert, so that could be the reason for this effect. This isn’t to say that it looks “bad”, but just not as pristine as some other titles.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included soundtracks include a Dolby Digital 5.1 and a DTS 5.1, just like the previous movie. All in all, they seem to sound about the same, though as per usual I’d give the edge to the DTS. Dialogue (and there’s a lot of it) sounds clean and natural and in some scenes the dynamic audio really takes hold and never lets go. That’s to say that “it sounds good”. Granted, this isn’t something that will blow the roof off your place, but there are certainly far worse tracks out there. In any case, it’s nice to have a choice when it comes to audio and finally DTS seems to be gaining more mainstream studio support. Nice job.
Supplements: What are the extras?
With the popularity of these two movies it’s merely a matter of time until we get fully-loaded Special Editions of both (probably sold together). I mean if they’re going to do a SE of “The Princess Diaries”, why not this? But, for the time being, this is what we have. The disc contains a deleted scene, a 26 minute “Making of…” behind the scenes featurette which left me a bit high and dry. This seemes to fit the template for all of the other “non-interesting” featurettes out there. Lastly, we have an eleven minute video that was shown at the film’s premiere. And that’s it. Better than the first or not, odds are that if you have any interest in the Kill Bill movies, you’ll pick this disc up and then pay for the more elaborate Special Edition that is surely down the road.
