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As
one would expect, Volume 2's narrative employs its fair share of
flashbacks and flashforwards, but Tarantino appears to purposely
temper his use of these narrative techniques in order to focus
attention more sharply on the film's dramatic elements, thereby
allowing the story to develop at a more deliberate pace. Those often
confounded by Tarantino's usually excessive anachronistic story
structure will appreciate what for Tarantino is a seamless transition
between events.
Similar to most
Tarantino films, the Kill Bill tale is a simple one. Here it's a story
of heartbreak begetting a massacre that leads to a Bride hell-bent on
the big payback. Having sliced and diced foes Vernita Green (Vivica
Fox) and Oren Ishii (Lucy Liu) in Volume 1, the Bride (Uma Thurman)
continues her trip along retribution roadway in Volume 2. Her targets
- Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen) and Bill (David
Carradine) - a treacherous three sensitized to feel the heartbeat of
approaching danger. Without the element of surprise that hastened her
quest in Volume 1, the Bride's remaining enemies initially repel her
fists of fury and thus delay her journey as well as the distinctive Ironside
riff that signals when the Bride is about get busy avenging.
Does the vixen vigilante vanquish the remaining
Vipers? Well, that's besides the point as Volume 2 spends less time
hyping the method of the Bride's remaining battles and more time
exploring the natures of the blade slinging warriors.
Overall, the ensemble portraying Volume 2's cast of
characters delivers remarkable performances. While Hannah scores high
marks for her treacherously enjoyable turn as Elle Driver, Uma Thurman
is magnificent as the Bride, a role in which Thurman captivates with
her fair-haired furor and grim-faced grit. For Thurman, the Bride is
an all encompassing challenge that she willing tackles with
outstanding skill and verve.
Yet, the most intriguing character is Carradine's
Bill, a seemingly evil twin of Kwai Chang Caine, the Shaolin monk
Carradine is widely known for portraying. Where the priestly Caine
wanders the American West searching for his brother and avoiding
bounty hunters, Bill has a more dastardly mission. Bill seeks
impressionable young women looking for a patron. But this should not
come as a surprise since early in his life Bill was introduced to the
art of exploitation.
Mentored in his youth by Esteban Vihaio (Michael
Parks), an old school procurer of flesh, Bill somewhat follows in his
surrogate father's footsteps. Instead of the sex trade, Bill recruits
vixens for the death trade and provides them with the skills to
succeed as killer call girls. The price Bill's protégés pay for his
patronage is unending loyalty. And as it is with most pimps, attempts
to leave the stable are met with at least a beat down and sometimes a
cap to the dome.
Volume 2 is worthy of praise on many levels, but
it's a shame that even with so much time in the mini-series devoted to
plot development that all of LaTanya Richardson's and Michael Jai
White's scenes were deleted. Hopefully, Tarantino will show the bro'
and sis' some love in the film's DVD.
M
April 2004
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