#4 "I shoulda been motherfuckin' Black Mamba!"

Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, in my opinion, should be viewed as one film, rather than in two volumes, as it was released. Tarantino is a filmmaker for a film lover, as he understands how to create a film that audiences will love. Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown are definitely two of the most clever and enjoyable films of the past two decades. Kill Bill stars Uma Thurman as The Bride, a one-time assassin who has just been left for dead at her wedding. This film showcases all of Uma's talent, and should be seen as a masterpiece. It is a film that is violent, wickedly funny, and touching. While volume 1 focuses a lot more on action and volume 2 on dialogue and character, the two films work as a whole to create a wonderful story of revenge. Quentin Tarantino writes his screenplays with such a masterful use of language that we are swept up into the story, where we feel that we are right along with The Bride on her quest to exact revenge on Bill. Uma Thurman's interpretation of character is so astonishing that it is hard to view her in any other role before first seeing her in her yellow jumpsuit playing The Bride.

We first meet The Bride at the beginning of the film when an unseen Bill shoots a bullet into her skull. We skip ahead four years and find that she did not die, and has decided to seek revenge against those responsible for her attempted murder, namely her former boss and mentor, Bill. The Bride was once a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, where she was given the code name Black Mamba. Before finding Bill, she has made it her mission to kill O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), Elle Driver (Darryl Hannah), and Budd (Michael Madsen), her former colleagues, who killed her unborn child and entire wedding party. Volume 1 begins as The Bride seeks revenge against Vernita Green, second on her kill list. The anticipated fight between these two former assassins is choreographed like a dance and is spectacular to watch. Quentin Tarantino employs a fractured narrative and the story continues as The Bride begins her quest to find and kill O-Ren Ishii. Tarantino is no stranger to fractured narratives, as he used this style with great effectiveness in Pulp Fiction. As this is a revenge fantasy film, one can expect that The Bride finds success in her effort to kill Bill, however, she does encounter enormous resistance from her enemies, particularly a fantastically campy fight scene against O-Ren Ishii's army, the Crazy 88. As a director and storyteller, Quentin Tarantino gives his audience the back story needed to empathize with The Bridge and you find yourself cheering louder for every enemy she dispatches.

Kill Bill should never be seen as just another revenge fantasy. Quentin Tarantino melds so many different techniques into one film (in two volumes) that the film becomes a visual masterpiece. Tarantino uses of colour and contrast in the film: so well that the scenes in black and white are especially eerie and the red blood splattered over The Bride's yellow jumpsuit shows just how hard she has to fight to gain her revenge. The soundtrack of the film is also quite memorable, which is a staple of most Tarantino films. There is such a wide variety of music in the film and the soundtrack of the film expertly enhances each scene. When the final credits end, after volume 2, the film belongs to Uma Thurman. She gives a wonderfully impassioned performance which should have received much more attention from media and critics, although the film may have been considered too violent for a conservative public. Forget Uma's career performance in Pulp Fiction, she is the star of Kill Bill and it is her film and she is the reason that is will one day be considered a masterpiece.

On a final note: Quentin Tarantino NEEDS to edit the two volumes into one film, so it can be released on DVD as it was meant to be viewed.