Many things come to mind when the topic of Kill Bill is brought up. My relationship with this duology (now released as one film, as originally intended) has been very personal to me ever since I was a teen. My dad lived in various apartments during my childhood, and whenever I’d come over to visit, he’d always have two distinct movie posters on the walls: Kill Bill (Volume 1), and Pulp Fiction (1994). I started being more curious and intentional about film once I entered my teenage years, and finally sat down to watch Kill Bill when I was around 14 or 15. I still remember being blown away by watching the Crazy 88 scene for the first time. I rewound and rewatched it probably 3 or 4 times on that first viewing due to being surprised at the sheer amount of carnage on screen. I was hooked.
To address the elephant in the room, one must acknowledge the fact that Tarantino’s views on Zionism are reprehensible, he was a close and longtime collaborator with the Weinsteins, and doesn’t do himself any favors by being as annoying as he possibly can about film when provided the opportunity. I feel like this has been known for quite some time by the film community, but lately, new-generation cinephiles seem to have become shocked at this fact following Tarantino’s (frankly invalid) recent criticism of Paul Dano being “the worst actor in SAG”. The shock of the internet finding out that Tarantino is a shitty person surprised me. I thought we all knew that Tarantino liked the smell of his own farts a little too much. That all being said, I am a fan of his work and the enjoyment of it has always been a constant in my life. When my wife and I first started dating, we had the times of our lives showing each other our favorite movies, which included many Tarantino films, from the Kill Bill saga to the hidden gem that is True Romance (1993). Speaking of True Romance, it was a treat to realize that Sonny Chiba makes an appearance in The Whole Bloody Affair as the world-renowned sword maker, Hattori Hanzo. Chiba is mentioned multiple times as the greatest martial artist of all time in the film, and his film The Street Fighter (1974) is where our two leads meet in True Romance, which was Tarantino’s first script. The script for True Romance was sold in order for him to finance his first feature, Reservoir Dogs (1992)
The day Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’s release was announced, I had actually intended to sit down and revisit these movies, along with a few other Tarantino’s, during a solo weekend while my wife was out of town. Though those plans were foiled by the announcement, I couldn’t be happier with having waited to re-experience this movie as a whole for the first time at the movie theater.
Now, finally, let’s talk about my experience seeing The Whole Bloody Affair. It had been about 7 years since the last time I had seen either of these films. Even when you know what’s going to happen, the movie sucks you in from that first black and white frame of the bloody bride, Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman). Once again, just like when I was 14, I was immediately hooked. I can appreciate films on a deeper level now for what they are and what they set out to do, but when revisiting this, I just felt like a teenager again. I was sitting in that theater, smiling like a goof out the sheer joy and nostalgia I felt revisiting this and just soaking up all the fun the film wanted me to have. It was a fantastic experience laughing with the crowd at some of the more insane moments, or getting jump scared by the black mamba in the million-dollar briefcase. It was a wonderful time to be at the movies.
Uma Thurman puts on a masterclass performance across the 4 hour saga, with her character Beatrix getting shot in the head, surviving and waking up from and recovering from a 4-year coma while likely being raped daily in that state, losing her child, survived being shot in the chest with a shotgun and buried alive, all while mowing her way through a whole litany of revenge killings against Bill, The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, and hundreds of various gang members.
I think that Kill Bill works excellently as a full movie rather than a 2-parter. Yes, the first half is a bit more exciting in terms of action and getting revenge against O-Ren Ishii (portrayed by Lucy Liu) and Vernita Green (portrayed by Vivica A. Fox), but the rawness of the 2nd half with the Pai Mei (portrayed by the legendary actor and martial-artist Gordon Liu Chia-Hui) training arc and everything you get with Bill (portrayed by David Carradine) and BB (portrayed by Perla Haney-Jardine) make the films 4+ hour runtime worth it. The Whole Bloody Affair’s extended anime sequence was very well done, and I found it quite chilling at times. Pretty Riki (voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa) and the way his face contorted constantly throughout the sequence was quite terrifying on the big screen.
I know I’ve mentioned a few times now that this is a 4+ hour film experience, but don’t let that dissuade you from seeing it. The runtime absolutely flies by for both parts, and by the time intermission hits you in the theater after part 1, you’re just sitting there waiting for the next big hit of dopamine after such a brutal battle against the Gogo Yubari (portrayed by Chiaki Kuriyama), the (now in full color) Crazy 88, and O-Ren Ishii. As someone who has become a kung-fu and samurai movie nerd in the last few years, this was an absolute treat of a film with references and I cannot wait to revisit this saga again. I’m flying home for the holidays soon and foresee at least part 1 coming on in a late night drunken stupor at my parent’s house.
That all being said, Quentin, why did you not include this masterpiece in the Final Cut? You Bastard!!
There are very few movies I would bestow the title of “This Should Always Be Playing in Theaters”. Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is meant to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and is why I am addicted to going to the theater. This Should Always Be Playing in Theaters.
★★★★★
Anatomy of a Film 