Kill Bill Vol. 1: Review By JR

From the black-and-white opening credits to the bloodied battle in snow at the first Volume's conclusion, "Kill Bill Vol. 1" is a full assault on the senses.

Never before has ANY action movie taken on such a grand and STYLIZED form of violence- that is, violence and gratuitious bloodshed as an art form. Tarantino makes the bloodied limbs and corpses of Uma Thurman's victims instruments in his symphony of carnage, and uses a PERFECTLY synchronized soundtrack to surround his cast's movement with emphasis.

I repeatedly found myself saying aloud, "Can they actually put this into film?" The violence was in-your-face, much like "Saving Private Ryan," and had a similar, queasy effect- but while Saving Private Ryan had a level of "war is ugly" seriousness pervading every aspect of the bloodied action, "Kill Bill Vol. 1" makes every gory scene tongue-in-cheek humor, causing the audience to laugh (in spite of itself) at a seemingly never-ending geyser of blood from a headless corpse, a writhing corpse on a dance floor of crimson, and a box of Kaboom cereal (a nice touch, Quentin!).

"Kill Bill Vol. 1" will not be for every movie goer. Some will be simply unable to see past the violence to appreciate Tarantino's use of color and stoic symbolism- the characters' identities are set in stone, and the story's flimsy plot line (so far- after all, if Pulp Ficion were reviewed by only its midway point, it wouldn't receive the acclaim it does as a whole!) serve strictly as a framework for an endless barage of beautifully crafted scenework.

Uma Thurman probably should have been out of her league in this film. From suspending disbelief to mere aesthetics, believing that this buxomed beauty could somehow exist as a killing machine would have borderlined absurdity before her performance in this. But we empathize with her, despite our better instincts- her waking up in the hospital is painful, as she's faced with one nauseating revelation after another, and she's driven literally to the point of bloodied, vengeful action within mere MINUTES of waking of a four year coma.

Thurman's performance is worthy of Oscar consideration, because it's NOT an easy role to play. Even with basic stereotypes, she brings an intensity and believability that's unlike the genres Tarantino's film imitates. She's the lifeblood, the essence the film revolves around. If Thurman failed at enrapturing the audience, the film fails.

Fortunately, she redefines herself as a credible actress, and breathes life into a film that repeatedly downplays the significance of life.