Reviews: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) Movie Review
Subgenres:
Our honest review of Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) breaks down its scares, pacing, and whether this horror movie truly stands the test of time.
I had the pleasure of seeing Quentin Tarantino‘s fourth film, "Kill Bill: Volume 1" this weekend. Saturday afternoon I watched Volume 1 for the first time, and later that night got to see Volume 2 at the theater, but that’s another tale. As of late, I’ve been becoming a huge Tarantino fan. What initially turned me off from him was "From Dusk ‘Till Dawn". I know he didn’t direct it, but he played a lead role (which made me hate him) and wrote the terrible screenplay (what can I say, I hate that movie). What turned me on him and made me a huge fan was "Natural Born Killers". Again, not one of the movies he’s directed, but he wrote it. "Kill Bill: Volume 1" is a very amazing film. Tarantino mixes many different genres such as spaghetti westerns/kung fu flicks, and even some anime to create the perfect, almost comic book-like atmosphere for this unique film. Uma Thurman stars as "The Bride", a very strong woman that makes a miraculous recovery after being beaten down and shot in the head during her wedding ceremony. With her fiance and friends murdered (as well as the Reverend, his wife, and the organ player), the Bride seeks revenge on the lives of those who tried to take hers. Those who are on her "Death List" include O-Ren Ishii (aka Cottonmouth, played by Lucy Liu), Vernita Green (aka Copperhead, played by Vivica A. Fox), Elle Driver (aka California Mountain Snake, played by Daryl Hannah), Budd (aka Sidewinder, played by Michael Madsen, and of course, Bill (played by David Carradine).
"Kill Bill: Volume 1" is a very amazing film. Tarantino mixes many different genres such as spaghetti westerns/kung fu flicks, and even some anime to create the perfect, almost comic book-like atmosphere for this unique film. Uma Thurman stars as "The Bride", a very strong woman that makes a miraculous recovery after being beaten down and shot in the head during her own wedding ceremony. With her fiance and friends murdered (as well as the Reverend, his wife and the organ player), the Bride seeks revenge on the lives of those who tried to take hers. Those who are on her "Death List" include O-Ren Ishii (aka Cottonmouth, played by Lucy Liu), Vernita Green (aka Copperhead, played by Vivica A. Fox), Elle Driver (aka California Mountain Snake, played by Daryl Hannah), Budd (aka Sidewinder, played by Michael Madsen, and of course, Bill (played by David Carradine).
The movie is very violent and will definitely please gore lovers (I heard the uncut version will be released in the U.S. hopefully around Christmas). The original music is done by none other than the Wu-Tang Clan’s own (and my hero) The RZA. The opening song to the film, Nancy Sinatra’s "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" perfectly creates the setting of what you’re about to see. The fight scenes are amazing and the acting is great. The ending will probably bother some people who don’t have Volume 2 at their finger tips, but believe me, go out and see Volume 2 playing in theaters right now; it is as well an awesome movie.
All in all the "Kill Bill" series will go down as one of my personal favorites, next to the Evil Dead trilogy. Anyone who enjoys dark comedies, kung fu flicks, spagetti westerns, and gore-fests then this movie is for you!
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1 Rating Scores
- Our Score: 8/10
- Overall Score: 7.91/10
- IMDB: 8.2/10
- MetaCritic: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 8.5/10
Look here for more movies starting with K and here you can find 2003 movies to watch on your favorite streaming service.