Kill Bill has a truly awful script. The main character, "The Bride", is less than one dimensional
- the word "revenge" is all you need to know about her. The "plot", for want of a better word,
is almost non-existent and has holes through which you could drive a Pussy Wagon. The word
"revenge" is again all you need to know. It's not even a complete story, just part one of
three which simply stops in a most dramatically unsatisfying manner.
It's a mark of Tarantino's skill that he can take a piece of dross like this and turn it into
such a superb piece of cinema.
Kill Bill is pure comic book action - but done with amazing style. Beautiful sets and great
music combine with martial-arts style action to produce a film that feels like art-house
whilst still being trash. Imagine a collaboration between Roger Corman and Peter Greenaway
and you'll get some idea. Tarantino even gets away with inserting a gratuitous anime
style section.
People often equate Tarantino films with violence. For once this is entirely true. Kill Bill
is a truly violent film, with people being maimed and killed all across the screen. Flying
limbs are not uncommon. Yet none of this is offensive, mainly because it's so comic-book
that it's divorced from reality. There is one truly violent scene in the film and that's
the first few minutes. This short flashback section is dark and very nasty, it shows how
this film could have been made. It's as if Tarantino wanted to say "You see, I could
have made a serious arty film - but I decided to have some fun instead".
Fun it is but, ironically, it's when Tarantino is trying to be overtly funny that Kill Bill
falls down flat. Tarantino's humour is best when done with a straight face and tongue in
cheek.
Tarantino has taken a truly awful script and turned it into a fantastic action-packed
thrill ride. Leave your critical faculties aside and just enjoy a great cinematic
experience.
