Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)

Preceded by: Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2003)

	Directed by: Quentin Tarantino	COUNTRY USA GENRE Action NORWEGIAN TITLE Kill Bill: Volume 2 RUNNING TIME 138 minutes
	Produced by: Lawrence Bender
	Written by: Quentin Tarantino

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
The Bride	Uma Thurman
Bill	David Carradine	½
Budd	Michael Madsen
Elle Driver	Daryl Hannah	½
Pai Mei	Gordon Liu	-
Esteban Vihaio	Michael Parks	-
Shana Stein	Stephanie L. Moore	-
Reverend Harmony	Bo Svenson	-
Mrs. Harmony	Jeannie Epper	-
Tommy Plympton	Chris Nelson	-
Rufus	Samuel L. Jackson	-
Larry Gomez	Larry Bishop	-
Jay	Sid Haig	-
O-Ren Ishii	Lucy Liu	-

Review

Kill Bill: Vol 2 is a refreshing reminder that Quentin Tarantino still hasn't lost that special creative spark that has made him the single most interesting filmmaker in cinema over the past decade. This Vol 2 is of course the second half of a two-part saga, but thankfully it never feels like one. Unlike Vol. 1, it stands firmly on its own. Tarantino’s influences are once again so front and centre that the film occasionally borders on caricature – it’s hard to go adoringly “over the top” when tributing someone like Sergio Leone – and narratively he sometimes loses both focus and momentum when style takes precedence over story. Yet the craftsmanship is remarkable, executed with flair and imagination, and – unlike the first film – it’s stylish without feeling overly choreographed. Tarantino demonstrates that he remains a master of inventive visual perspectives.

Kill Bill: Vol 2 is no attempt at realism, of course, but for the drama to work, the characters need a measure of psychological interest. That’s where Tarantino’s gift for character writing truly shines. Where The Bride (Uma Thurman) in Vol. 1 felt a bit too one-dimensional and preprogrammed, she develops here into someone with emotional complexity and genuine dramatic weight. The relationship between Bill (Carradine) and The Bride is not only dynamic and deeply engaging, but also features a patient, probing dialogue sequence that shows Tarantino at his very best. Special credit to David Carradine, who is resurrected from near-obscurity in typical Tarantino fashion, and delivers a wonderfully raw and unpolished performance. The creation of the title character is proof that Tarantino can still be that vibrant, inventive filmmaker he first emerged as.