A REVIEW OF KILL BILL VOL. 1

KILL BILL; PHOTO BY ALEX ARENSDORF

WARNING!! The following review is about a movie that is rated R for violence, alcohol use, smoking, foul language, and sexual content, written in chronological order. !!SPOILERS for Kill Bill Vol.1!!

You’re in the middle of your wedding day, the day that is meant to be the happiest day of many people’s lives. As you celebrate, everyone who attended is assassinated at the hands of your former team. They cause the miscarriage of your unborn daughter. You wake up 4 years later and want nothing but revenge. Welcome to Kill Bill.

The movie follows a woman called The Bride, and she begins her journey of revenge in a hospital room; she wastes no time getting to work. She takes the truck of the creepo doctor she questioned and then killed, and sets out to assassinate her former team. They are known as DeVAS (Deadly Viper Assassination Squad), and the members are Vernita Green (Copperhead), Elle Driver (California Mountain Snake), Budd (Sidewinder), O-Ren Ishii (Cottonmouth), and Bill (Snake Charmer), their leader. 

The Bride’s journey (post-hospital sequence), begins with her traveling to Japan to find a swordsman. The two converse about their pasts and he agrees to make her a sword for her quest. She first sets out against O-Ren Ishii, the leader of the Yakuza. The Bride slaughters every member O-Ren sends her way, and The Bride finishes O-Ren with an impressive removal of her skull cap. Next on The Bride’s list was Vernita Green. No time wasted, The Bride attacks Vernita in her home as soon as the door is opened. The two brawl until Vernita’s daughter arrives. The two stop and talk until Vernita pulls a firearm on The Bride, but she misses. The Bride then kicks a cup of coffee at Vernita, and swiftly and accurately kicks a knife into Vernita’s chest, killing her.

The camera work and placement in this film are amazing. Some shots look incredible, the scene where Elle Driver is walking through the hospital and the film shows us two perspectives, being The Bride’s and Elle's, at once is pulled off so well. There’s a shot in the beginning of Chapter 2 where it shows the sheriff's point of view and the film turns green; it then shows us a shot of him taking off his sunglasses and then going back to his perspective now in normal colors. The soundtrack is also really well done, action scenes have well-fitting music that gets you into the fights, and one-on-one character moments have great music that helps you connect with the characters and understand how they feel. The special effects in this movie are truly a sight to see. There were moments that had such notable effects, such as the fights within the bar/night club during Chapter 4. The final shot of the dance floor before The Bride pursues O-Ren Ishii looks incredible. The film is not presented in chronological order, but I believe that the story wouldn’t work as well if it were presented in chronological order. Initially, it opens with the “assassination” of The Bride; next is Vernita Green, and then the chapters set in Japan with O-Ren Ishii are last. If it were to be chronologically presented, it would start with the wedding assassination, jump to the hospital sections, jump to the sections in Japan, and then have a very anti-climactic finish with Vernita Green. 

Overall, Kill Bill Vol. 1 is an amazing watch. It isn’t too hard to follow and has some of the best effects I’ve ever seen in a movie. Most of the effects are practical, and, during production, they used over 450 gallons of fake blood. The tragic backstory of The Bride makes the viewer connect with her and want her to win. The section with the plot was a basic run-down; for many more details and to see the fights for yourself, you can watch Kill Bill Vol.1 and Kill Bill Vol.2 on Prime Video with a Prime Subscription. I’d give it a 9/10.