Kill Bill Volume 2

I loved Kill Bill Volume One. I found it exciting, visually arresting and above all one of the most original movies of the last few years (even though Tarantino had nicked most of the ideas from martial Arts movies…)

I was disappointed in the sequel, or second half, and to me it seems there was a cracking good three hour movie originally that got split into two, Volumes 1 and 2. Whilst 1 felt complete, but still with a cliffhanger(ish) ending, 2 feels stretched out, with many redundant scenes and lots of conversations that…just…drag…on…and…on. From his earlier work, Tarantino could have two people talking for five minutes, or in Pulp Fiction two people NOT to talk at all and they would be great scenes. The man has a knack for dialogue, but it’s a shade of his former work that is on display here. Yes there is more characterization, and that’s all good, but it’s the scenes where people talk and it offers nothing to the story, characters or film. The Samuel L Jackson cameo and whole church opening is a case in point. It’s not that it was unnecessary; it just wasn’t written very well.

There are good things though, including the inclusion of Bill this time. It’s hard to imagine Warren Beatty playing the role now, and I’m sure Tarantino agrees, as David Carradine is brilliant. He relishes every word, and still looks like he could knock seven shades out of you, despite his age. He begins his journey into modern cinema, and let’s hope he doesn’t waste the opportunity like Travolta and Grier seem to have.
Some scenes ring out, and it’s these that remind you of what could have been that one great movie. Uma being buried alive, Uma training, Uma’s bitch-fight with Daryl Hannah, yes Uma is great in this as with the first film. The other stalwart of Tarantino, Mr Michael ‘Blonde’ Madsen sups his beer with the grizzled look of someone that’s seen it all. What’s amusing is that it feels and looks like Tarantino wrote the part with Madsen in mind – someone who had it all at his feet and pi$$ed it all away. What happened to your career Mike? Despite finding his friend QT again, I’m not sure this part will boost him back into the wish-list for dream casts; he plays it a little bit too laid back. No, it’s Daryl Hannah that will be the cast member that does the best out of these films, the final image of her reminding you of how great she was in things like Blade Runner over twenty years ago.

Other goods include some clever plot points, including the reason why Daryl Hannah wears an eye patch, and it’s a shame there are aren’t more of these moments. Several scenes lag (as mentioned), and it just keeps coming back to you that Tarantino shouldn’t have listened to Weinstein (or was it the other way round…) and stuck with one solid film.

Worth catching still, but for my money not as good as the first.

- Fletch high kicks for it...