Kill Bill Vol.2

Kill Bill Vol.2

Introduction

During the closing credits for Kill Bill Vol. 2, each actor is identified with a short clip from one of their key scenes. At the preview screening where I caught the movie, as each actor appeared in the credits, the audience cheered some and remained mum on others. Gordon Liu received cheers while Daryl Hannah got nothing. Sonny Chiba received the biggest ovation, while Uma Thurman got only a smattering of applause. Strange, considering the movie revolves around Thurman's character and your reaction to the movie in general is largely defined by your reaction to the Bride. No, the audience wasn't slighting Thurman; rather the audience was using the closing credits as a way to show off, for the audience largely consisted of film geeks, the sort of moviegoers who gladly arrive an hour and a half before showtime in order to stand in line outside the theater and be assured of getting a good seat.

Discussion

Director/writer Quentin Tarantino, an ex-video store clerk, used to be one of these film geeks (and to a certain extent, he still is). And like the geek who wants to show off his special powers to the mere mortals, Tarantino likes to show off his knowledge, which is both one of the more endearing aspects of the Kill Bill movies, as well as one of the limiting factors. It's endearing to see Tarantino lavish attention on great international stars (such as the aforementioned Gordon Liu and Sonny Chiba) who are unrecognizable to the vast majority of American moviegoers. It's endearing to see Tarantino and soundtrack composer Robert Rodriguez riffing on the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone with direct borrowings from Ennio Morricone's great scores for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the ...