Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
Stars
Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Chia Hui Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
Director
Quentin Tarantino
The Story in a Nutshell
The Bride (Uma Thurman) is back to complete her quest for vengeance which started in Volume 1. All that is standing between her and total revenge is Bill's brother Budd (Michael Madsen), Bill's new lover Elle (Daryl Hannah) and Bill himself (David Carradine).
Martial Arts Used
Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Ninjitsu
Weapons Used
Katana, Guns (various)
In Summary
In many ways Vol. 2 is very different from Vol. 1. There is less action (there is still enough to keep us all very happy though!), but more intelligence and more storyline. We learn about the deep relationship between The Bride and Bill, and this helps makes the end sequence much more poignant.
Uma Thurman deserves a lot of credit again, this time in particular for the "buried alive" scene (warning: this is not a scene for those with claustrophobia!) This scene also makes all of us who train in Kung Fu appreciate much more the importance of the "one inch punch" technique.
The performance of the film though has to go to Chia Hui Liu, who's portrayal of Pai Mei has to be the highlight. Pai Mei is a throwback from the classic Kung Fu films that we all (Tarantino included) love, right down to the constant stroking of the beard.
Overall this film does not have the same impact as the first, but then again as it is a bit slower in pace, and because Vol. 1 was so dramatic and so good, it was always going to struggle to live up to Vol.1. But in its own right it is a great film, Uma Thurman and the rest of the cast put in a great performance, and is another great homage to Kung Fu from the brilliant Quentin Tarantino.
For information please see: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378194/
Rating: 4/5
Author: The Bear Martial Arts Team
