Tarantino’s *KiII Bill: VoL 2’ stands well on its own
Tarantino’s new film lacks
the kungfu punch of ‘Vol. 1’
By Steven Neuman
News Reporter
Forget all the film-geek babble about
Quentin Tarantino splitting one film
into two — "Kill Bill: Volume 2" is es
sentially a sequel, and sequels as a rule
aren't very good. It's too hard to live up
to the hype. As a sequel this movie is de
cent at best but when taken as an indi
vidual work, its stock rises considerably.
Primarily, the movie has an entirely
different pace that translates into the
overall aesthetic of the film. Everything
is slower, and whereas "Vol. 1" was a
furiously fast tribute to kung fit films,
"Vol. 2" is a methodical study of classic
westerns. It feels like clockwork slowly
ticking toward an inevitable end.
The rest of the movie is designed to
reinforce this perception. The film
picks up with The Bride, played by
Uma Thurman, who is off to kill the
last mem
bers of the
now-defunct
REVIEW Deadly Viper
_ Assassina
tion Squad
(DiVAS). She killed two of the mem
bers the first time around, but the ac
tion is put on hold as the movie finally
begins to flesh out The Bride's past
with Bill, played by David Carradine
A flashback to The Bride's
fatal wedding rehearsal, where Bill
gunned her down, is perhaps one of
the most striking sequences in recent
cinematic history. The black-and-white
LAURA KEMP and
ERIK MUIDERMAIM
LO NUESTRO
i
JOHN SHIPE and
^trilllEW r',ext to Adam s Place Restaurant 434-LUNA
Dinning Room open 5 pm to 9 pm weeknights 10 pm weekends
cinematography has an earthy graini
ness that alludes to the western genre,
but also recalls Dorothea Lange's De
pression-era portraits. When the
creased face of Bill — essentially a dis
embodied voice in "Vol. 1" — finally
appears, his visage is strikingly worn
and weathered, a factor only height
ened by the stylized photography.
The whole look of the film is an
homage to every possible source of in
spiration, with references so deep and
obscure that only Tarantino could
know them all. However, the cumula
tive effect is a comforting, albeit dis
continuous, atmosphere of pop cul
ture that intentionally tries to evoke
strong emotions in the viewer through
familiarity. The East-West fusion
heightened the stylized gore of "Vol.
1," but when Tarantino tries to stylize
the spaghetti-western in "Vol. 2," the
whole thing drowns in an echo cham
ber of self-referential cinema artifice.
Perhaps the most successful ele
ment that survives the Cuisinart effect
of Tarantino's direction is the music.
The RZA reprises his work from "Vol.
1," and his sensitivity to the film is
once again well-placed. Robert Ro
driguez, who scored his own "El Mari
achi" movies, gives this score a sensi
bility that fits perfectly with the
American southwest and Mexican set
ting in "Vol. 2."
The movie also tells the tale of how
The Bride, a.k.a. Black Mamba, be
came the most talented of Bill's assas
sins, and why she decided to leave
him and the killing business. Thur
man's scenes with Gordon Liu, who
plays her white-haired martial arts
master Pai Mei with an exaggerated
338-4000
018855
3 pm, Friday April 23rd
trsity Commons
Food, Mnks & Prizes!
Rain Date: Sat* 24th @ 1pm
Everybody's Invited!
*Sign-up deadline:
Thurs. April 22nd, 6pm
umversiTY
COMMONS
apartments
90 Commons Drive, Eugene, Or 97401
Courtesy
Clockwise, from left: The Bride (Uma Thurman) prepares to breach Bill’s (David Carradine)
California mansion; Pai Mei (Chia Hui Liu) trains The Bride for her work as an assassin; Bill
attacks The Bride off-guard; and The Bride finally gets the upper hand against her kungfu
master in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Vol. 2.”
charm, possess a peculiar chemistry
that is lightly tinged with perfect
comedic timing. Similarly, a later
scene where The Bride dispatches a
would-be assassin — almost immedi
ately after learning she is pregnant —
is also well-timed and fraught with
dark humor.
Daryl Hannah's screentime is lim
ited, but her rendition of the one-eyed
assassin Elle Driver is unrelenting. She
is cold, calculating and stunningly
sharp, but Tarantino fails to utilize her
potential. This is perhaps the movie's
greatest flaw because, if anything,
Hannah leaves you wanting more.
Much has been made of Carradine's
turn as Bill, but frankly it's nothing spe
cial; he's essentially playing himself.
On the other hand, Michael Madsen,
who plays Bill's brother Budd, is mas
terfully aloof, yet cool.
As far as the action is concerned, "Vol.
2" is a bit of a disappointment. There is
no climactic epic battle like in "Vol. 1"
and the swordplay is limited, although
the catfight between Driver and The
Bride in a trashy trailer is spectacularly
gruesome. By the end, somehow re
venge isn't quite what it's all about.
"Kill Bill: Volume 2" is currently
playing at the Gateway Cinemark 17
theater and at Regal Cinema World 8
at Valley River.
Contact the business/science/
technology reporter
at stevenneuman@dailyemerald.com.
Come Celebrate
“Hiking Day"
Sat. April 24th
Come in and enjoy a day of FREE
discussions, seminars and resources for
getting the most out of hiking in Oregon.
* 11am -12 pm *
Shoe/Boot Fitting and
Foot Health Clinic.
* 12 pm - 2 pm *
Book Signing • Bill Sullivan
local author of 12 books
including “Cabin Fever”.
* 2 pm - 3 pm *
Effective Packing Tips for
a Day Hike.
* 3 pm - 4 pm *
Hiking Safety Clinic.
* 4 pm - 5 pm *
Wilderness Navigation
Clinic.
- FREE PARKING -
Hours: 10-6 Mon-Sat /12-5 Sun
www.mckenzieoutfitters.com
566 Olive St.
Downtown Eugene
343-2300
Today’s crossword solution
Musique Gourmet
Classical Music
Opera
Broadway
Filmscores
CD's
SACD'S
DVD'S
Open Noon - 5:20
Sundays Noon - 4:00
Closed Tuesdays
Behind Bradfords
Across from Library
0 942 Olive St.
| FREE PARKING
349-0461