Kill Bill: Vol 2 is a good movie ... a respectable movie. Tarantino is playful without purpose in a long string of miniature cinematic essays on style. And then there's also a story.Tarantino flexed some serious style muscle with Kill Bill: Vol 2. We start out in black and white and parade through the Tarantino list of cool things to do with a camera that pay homage to karate films, 70's exploitation films and of course, obscure R&B.
But I don't want to see an homage. I want to see Tarantino. That's why I loved Reservoir Dogs. It was pure Tarantino.
Now, I don't want to show no disrespect, but this film doesn't show the genius of Pulp Fiction. And is a much more quiet, tightly focused story that develops The Bride's (Uma Thurman) past and her relationship with Bill (David Carradine).
Uma Thurman is good in this role and she's the STAR of the film but Darryl Hannah is practically one half of the film with an enormous amount of screen time. Hannah plays Elle Driver, the arch-nemesis of the assassin known as The Bride. I don't know where Hannah kept herself for a few years but she's made a handful of great movies playing interesting, idiosyncratic characters over the past few years. She told me last year that it is enough for her to play a character that gets to wear unusual, freaky costumes.
The movie never felt like a whole, but a bunch of complementary pieces. I enjoyed watching the film and laughed when the screen suddenly became a stereotypical Karate movie.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 is subtle. Your best bet is to follow the objects, rather than the people, from scene to scene - the Hatori Hanzo swords particularly. Any prop the actor uses is not just a prop, but a fetish object and the props steal scene after scene. It's like Tarantino is using his actors just to carry stuff across the screen.
The best part of the film for my money was the speech Bill gave on his reading of Superman, not only as a genuine "other" with more veracity than Spiderman or Batman, but also his reading of Superman's use of the Clark Kent persona as his "costume" for assimilating into the human world and what the costume is saying about earthlings.Critics keep calling this film "cerebral" rather than "visceral." It is both, actually. And a little bit absurd. You should see it on a big screen, but sit back far enough to take in the whole screen in a single glance. It's just creepy to look up at a face 20 feet high.
This film is available for download or online viewing at CinemaNow.com For more in the CinemaNow.com series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. For more in the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival series, click here.
User Comments
3/24/18
morris campbell
solid but volume one is better imho
5/11/14
Mike
4 hours of my life wasted
4/21/14
Jason
more overrated tarantino crap
2/27/13
Ed
Piece of crap. Avoid!
3/08/12
Dr.Lao
Being over the age of 13, I found nothing redeeming in this move
11/18/11
matthew thompson dalldorf
Decent. Lady Snowblood is still better
6/26/11
DR
Almost good, but ultimately falls flat due to it's vacuous, midguided philosophy.
12/14/10
moose rapper
Better then the first one, but still overrated
6/10/10
Flathead King
More shallow, childish and self-indulgent trash from Tarantino.
5/31/10
User Name
Savor the tasty dialog, marvel at the over-the-top violence, and cheer at the expected end.
12/19/09
Elizabeth Sanchez
Violence concluded with a beautiful plot and dialogue.
5/06/09
Mishyana
Bit late, but Paul Shortt; you should make that "offending" YOUR "sensibilities".
4/08/09
j hall
"2" was much superior
3/17/09
Josie Cotton is a goddess
I didn't like the first one, but for some reason the sequel worked.
12/20/08
PAUL SHORTT
TAKES PLEASURE IN OFFENDING OUR MORAL SENSIBILITIES WITH ITS ADORING PORTRAIT OF A KILLER
10/21/08
Shaun Wallner
Well made.
8/17/08
Nino
Philosophizing equal to that of Pulp Fiction, puts meaning to the violence.
1/17/08
Bitchflaps
Not bad. David Carradine is a revelation, Uma Thurman is bollocks.
7/21/07
gr117
Not as good as the first....
6/03/07
Vinn
Boring as hell, weak finale, and some of Uma's dialogue & line readings were awful
3/27/07
fools♫gold
Tarantino's worst is still rather entertaining. 3/5 or 4/5.
1/08/07
Drew Galletti
Part of my favorite series
11/06/06
Drew
Love these movies
9/11/06
Eden
Even better than Vol 1. A brilliant modern day Leone movie
9/03/06
R.W.Welch
A step up from Vol.1. Only moderately excessive.
7/14/06
Anthony G
Awesome movie.
5/11/06
ES
Brilliant
5/04/06
dionwr
These movies are CRAP
5/02/06
Ryan_A
Oooo...touch of death...
5/01/06
William Goss
A worthy conclusion.
5/01/06
David Cornelius
even tops vol 1
5/01/06
HBS-SH
how fast is plaid?
4/24/06
Eden
The first one was amazing and this one's even better
3/01/06
Ronin
Has it's charm. Uma Thurman brilliant. Pai-Mei and his "story" rules.
1/09/06
Mike
Completely Awesome.... can't see one w/out the other
12/02/05
Naruto
only idiots will like such absurdity
11/22/05
Sully
absolute rubbish!!! too much endless dialog, with no point..part 2 sucked dog balls
11/08/05
Jonathon Holmes
It's Tarintino at the top of his form
10/19/05
a ninja
just as good as the first (perfect) but different
10/12/05
HL
One of My Favorites..Though I Am a Bit Warped.
10/12/05
Wisamane
Stupid college Crack head junkie "Artistic" Bull shit, it was horrible!!
10/09/05
Agent Sands
Very riveting. Kill Bill is one of the great film sagas. It is.
10/04/05
Jesse Taylor
Even better than the first one. Daryl Hannah gives a great performance.
9/12/05
pablo che
outstanding depiction of a violent story of intense love , passion and betrayal
8/24/05
Eden
Underrated tribute to a Leone film. Deeper than the first and much better for it
8/22/05
ES
Outshines the 1st, a humanitarian edge and a tearful conclusion, the best of film making
8/08/05
Maalstrom
A decent finish to this story, not what the first half delivered though.
8/05/05
Zack
GREAT CONTINUATION!
7/25/05
Eric Rollins
Under appreciated fun movie, great style and acting.
7/20/05
Sir Dude
Should have made it one movie instead of two.
7/13/05
Brandy Harrington
Pretty okay!
7/06/05
Isaac Baranoff
Killer!
6/24/05
Eric Rollins
Eye plucking good time.
6/24/05
Mr Fluffy
Justifies Vol 1.Would have been better as one film but where's the fun in that
6/15/05
Cheryl Free
I couldn't wait to see this sequel and I was NOT disappointed!
6/14/05
Phil
One of the coolest film ever. If you hated the first then give this a try!
6/08/05
b landers
STUPID !!!
6/04/05
Charlene Javier
Perfect sequel to an excellent movie.
5/24/05
The shizz
Just as good as the first one, alice ill take extra mayo on my sandwich BITCH.
5/11/05
C Vega
as good as volume one but not better but still quality
4/07/05
Jason Kreitzer
A terrific film and a great conclusion.
3/06/05
Elton John
I should bitch slap you alice, your supposed to be in the kitchen remember?
2/26/05
Alice Colwell
not that great
2/20/05
Abbath
Quite a bit better than the first volume.
2/16/05
Kathleen4691
should have stopped after Vol I...could have imagined that Vol II pulled it all together.
2/05/05
Tom Benton
Though not quite as good as "Vol. 1", "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" is another Tarantino masterpiece.
1/28/05
HL
Guess whover hates this don't appreciate Tarantino's considerable talent!
1/26/05
JesseL
Vol 1 was better, but this tied things together. Too thoughtful.
12/04/04
Kristina Williams
slower and less flashy than the first. End fight was LAME.
11/10/04
Adrian
Anyone bitching about this movies deserves a one-inch puncg to the crotch!
10/24/04
ODH
OK flick, less action with better dialogue. Some parts should have been left out though
10/22/04
John
feels like every "deleted scene" was squeezed into this boring
10/17/04
ian
Thurman should NOT have played this part, she sucks, however
10/14/04
george
rubbish, shit, crap, waste of time and money
10/10/04
Rio Driver
Fucking Fantastic
10/04/04
Josh Standlee
I can't beleive Bill die THAT WAY! I still liked most of it, though.
10/04/04
chimpy121
ONE really great movie in two parts. People seem to forget that...
10/02/04
Viktor Navorski
bloody good
10/01/04
malcolm
galactically better than Vol. 1. Vol. 2 could stand alone as a complete film.
9/12/04
sam bonner
stunningly boring 90% of the time - sadistic the other 10% - tarentino most overrated
9/01/04
Naka
Thrilling, character-driven epic. A fully satisfying conclusion.
8/24/04
Jessica
hard to sit through
8/20/04
J
Good, but not good enough!!!
8/16/04
Herolder
The Final was a bit dissapointing. Still a good movie
8/15/04
Peter James
Tarantino's second best film...after of course Pulp Fiction
8/15/04
Phil M. Aficionado
Imaginative, colorful, fun.
8/11/04
kc
the best part is the cantonese speaking sifu
8/11/04
tatum
Less action, more characterization, still loved it
8/11/04
Dean
well, it answered the questions, and i liked it
8/08/04
Mike McGilvray
A tool who expects every Tarentino film to be exactly like Pulp Fiction won't appreciate KB
8/01/04
Vince
QT must have lost it along the way... no people, this ain't no Pulp Fiction
7/30/04
Candace Troy Powers
What's with Clarita (waitress in Mexico)? She been eating shit or something?
7/29/04
The Quirkfetch Kid
Painful see once scrumptouos Daryl Hannah reduced to killer bitch goin out blind&screaming
7/23/04
Sandy Turynowicz
Girl kick butt
7/21/04
sean
amazin!!!!!never seen it
7/17/04
legend
More talk, less action and worse film. I like the first one more.
7/07/04
Margie
spectacular. funny, emotional, wow. tarantino's a great director but he's still a nerd
7/05/04
James Kustes
I liked this one better than the first. Zoom in on the beard
6/30/04
valerie hart
AMAZING FILM AND IT ACTUALLY HAS A STORY TO IT!!U HAV TO C IT THE FIRST ONE ASWELL!!!!!!!!!
6/15/04
One of the best films of the year!!
Spectacular direction, acting, and storytelling..worth it
6/06/04
Ryan Clark
A little less action and a little more dialogue than the first one, but better for it.
6/03/04
Shaun
Quentin Tarantino does it again!!!
5/30/04
reenum
This explains everything in Part 1. One of Tarantino's better efforts.
5/24/04
varyouga
This is HALF a movie. Maybe 30 min of filler but everything kicked ass.
5/23/04
Butterbean
AWESOME fight scene with Elle and Bride. It felt like 1/2 a movie with too much filler.
5/23/04
The More You Know
Are killers born or made? Funny that BB squishes her fish as mama squishes an eyeball...hmm
5/20/04
Your mom
anyone who hates this is a filthy zionist jew
5/19/04
Jeff S
Great movie with the best fight scene I've seen in a long time.
5/17/04
Graham
Squashed eyes. Live burials. Superman. Goldfish. Heartbreaking greatness.
5/17/04
Idiot's Mouth
Is there any movie Kevin Thomas doesn't think is "worth a look"? This was utter shit.
5/06/04
MVC
dont u ppl understand vol 1 & 2 are the same movie!! u cant compare! it was awesome!!
5/06/04
Samantha orr
Not as much action as the first one, but I like this one better than the first.
5/05/04
J.Peckerfoot
David Carradine was great,the story was predictable but always enjoyable.long live vol 1
5/04/04
your worst goddamn nightmare
The first vol. was magical and spellbinding, this was is just it's sequel. It was great tho
5/03/04
Obi Wan
Too slow, very dull..action was teasing....overall OVER-RATED!
5/03/04
Mieszko GORAK
I bet I would unsheathe in a motor home ... This is the best scene in Vol2
4/30/04
alice
hated the ending and Bill himself bored me but otherwise: very good
4/30/04
Cameron Slick
Awesomness
4/29/04
Bobbi
Some good scenes but very predictable(no shockers like the first)
4/29/04
Sophie Fatale
I'd give my right arm to see "KILL BILL VOL 3-THE INSIDIOUS REVENGE OF SOPHIE FATALE"
4/28/04
harkman
Was kind of slow toward the end, but didn't let me down.
4/28/04
John
after the cinmematic brilliance of volume 1 this is truly substandard, dull and boring
4/28/04
maximillion
Amazing! this ROX! Uma kix arse!!!
4/27/04
Caiphn
Had its moments, this definately should have been one film. Overall positive experience.
4/27/04
Daniel Bennison
the unforgettable scene with the bitch fight bewtween the bride and elle is a classic
4/26/04
Richard
Pretty boring, but Daryl Hannah looked fantastic and definitely had the best scene!
4/25/04
The man with the plan
Masterpiece......Voll II
4/25/04
Gobsmack
Amazing and emotional, dispite its flaws. A great, great film.
4/25/04
john bale
Load of old nonsense, but clever dialogue & considerable style make it great cinema
4/24/04
PAYNE
A masterpiece
4/23/04
Matthew Smith
brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
4/23/04
Angolmois
Watching Tarantino's movies is like watching a talented child. Uneven & long, but brilliant
4/23/04
John Wallace
One major letdown!
4/23/04
Dom
Carradine steals the show!
4/23/04
paul
tarantino's finest
4/23/04
MY NAME IS BUCK
AND I'M HERE TO FUCK
4/22/04
Koitus
Minimal action, great dialogue. BUT..2 obviously stretched out scenes (strip club; w/BB).
4/22/04
Troy Butler
9.5 out of 10, ... and a wonderful way to end the saga!!! Movie making at its finest!!!
4/22/04
sumixam
Well rounded off
4/21/04
Phartinoogan
It has absolutely no substance, coherency, or appeal
4/21/04
AfroFett
We got to see the origins of O-Ren but nobody else? Second part a little rushed maybe?
4/20/04
Jenni
an exercise in style.
4/20/04
RevTPK
Sorry... Not worth the ticket price
4/20/04
X
kicks ass
4/19/04
coreyhaim
Daryl Hannah, I eat my words. You were deliciously crazy in the black mamba-memo pad scene.
4/19/04
mason
Kill Bill 2 is a movie that no clever review can do justice.
4/19/04
A F
This was great. I loved the in depth story, that answered all my ?? in the first one
4/19/04
Tyla
I thought it sucked
4/18/04
luke
incredible
4/18/04
Gobsmack
wow.....wow...wow....wow....
4/18/04
Lord Chu
AWESOME, unforgettable brilliance
4/18/04
maxomai
I would have preferred one 4-hour movie
4/18/04
Agent Sands
Really really cool. I think it should've kept as one long action movie. Good suspense.
4/18/04
Morally Sound
Kill Bill Vol.1 kicked ass! Kill Bill Vol.2 kicked ass! Kill Bill kicks ass!
4/18/04
Bill
awsome ass movie
4/18/04
Alan
Absolutely amazing conclusion.
4/18/04
too-much-coffee mistress
absolutely beautiful... Tarantino's watermark.
4/18/04
Tim
Quentin proves again...he is the true nigga.
4/17/04
gman
excellent, what's all the complaining? QT DID action w/ VOL. 1, gave substance w/ #2
4/17/04
John
Best...Film...Evar! Beautiful film with great dialogue.
4/17/04
antonio barboassba
films o.k. nothing on gay people or theme, which i was disappointed about...
4/17/04
nick2k
wowsers! exceeds Vol 1 on all levels. NEEDS to be VIEWED in its TRUE entirety though.
4/17/04
mike
thoroughly satisfying. brilliant.
4/17/04
george
i'd keep most of Vol.1, get rid of most of Vol.2
4/17/04
luke
spectacular
4/17/04
KingNeutron
A bit slow in parts, and a bit long; but enjoyable. Nice that the sequel option is there.
4/17/04
Jordan
a total bore, not one memorable scene, i loved the first one but only because of lucy liu
4/17/04
ajay
worth my 8 bucks
4/17/04
Titus
A bit sadistic, and drags in some places, but all in all quite good.
4/17/04
chris.
beautiful.
4/17/04
Igor
Has its flaws but I felt most of the scenes are worth it. No way to make it 3 hours at once
4/17/04
kel
end of the credits? ohno still this flick rocks hard
4/16/04
john
fantastico
4/16/04
averagejoe
This couyld've been a kickass 3 hr epic, instead it smacks of greed and indulgence
4/16/04
Christina
loved it. DONT LEAVE UNTIL THE CREDITS ARE DONE!!!!!
4/16/04
Atanu
Praising Tarantino's talents has become a case of the emperor's new clothes
4/15/04
Morally Sound
As a whole, Kill Bill is my 3rd favorite movie of all time! I want some Bimbo Bread now!
4/15/04
Brian
dammit, start filming vol. 3!
4/14/04
y2mckay
Volume 1 ended in Overdrive. This one barely gets out of 3rd gear
4/14/04
Mike V
It's alright. Way too long. But mediocre Tarantino is better than most