5 out of 5 stars
Family appropriateness rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Rated R
-Several scenes of action violence including somewhat gory depictions of someone's eyes coming out.
-Strong language throughout including f-words and one use of the c-word.
-Some sexual content
"Kill Bill: Vol. 2" is more than a continuation of the first film. While it does end the story, it takes a step back from the action and gives insight about the characters.
The new information also new meaning to the rest of the story. In "Vol. 1," Quentin Tarantino does not let the audience know a lot of information about who the protagonist is. We know the basic motivations behind the Bride wanting to kill Bill, but we do not know why Bill wanted to murder her in the first place.
Near the beginning of this film, it is revealed what the relationship between Bill and the Bride had been previous to the attempted murder at the wedding. Tarantino does this by showing a moment between them at the church before the other members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad comes to attack.
That scene only reveals part of why Bill does something so horrible. Without spoiling anything, there is something the Bride has done as well, but her motivation is not revealed until she confronts Bill in the end.
This movie is yet another demonstration of Tarantino's superb use of dialogue. He does not lazily force exposition from his characters' mouths. The dialogue flows naturally and allows the audience to make connections on its own.
The character who gets the most interesting speeches is Bill. While there is still very little known about his backstory, he is depicted as an intelligent, insightful man. During the final confrontation, Bill makes an observation about the uniqueness of Superman. He says the superhero is the only one whose secret identity is the innocent civilian. His true self is an alien on earth with incredible powers. This speech ties into an explanation of the Bride's situation in a way that gives depth to the character without confusing the audience.
Before taking vengeance on Bill, the Bride still has two more people she wants to kill. This leads her into a precarious situation that would be near impossible to get out of for any normal human being. However, the Bride has some abilities most people do not have, and the reason for this is revealed in a flashback that directly connects to what is happening. It shows how she was trained, from whom and how she learned the specific move she needs to get out of her position.
There is another character named Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) who has roughly the same backstory. Her and the Bride were trained by the same person, Pai Mei (Chia-Hui Liu). However, Elle is not a very good person. Her badness -- contrasted with the Bride's goodness -- is highlighted when comparing their individual experiences with Pai Mei. They both undergo criticism from him, but they handle it differently.
This installment is not as gory and as "Vol. 1." There are a few action scenes, but none of them show blood squirting out of bodies. The first film is more about the action, and this is more about the characters. I did not like it as much at first. Compared to the first one, it seems slower, but that is because the emphasis is on different things. Anyone who sees it needs to understand that "Vol. 2" and "Vol. 1" are completely different films.
My thoughts on the ending (spoilers):
When Bill is about to shoot Beatrix Kiddo (since this section reveals spoilers, her real name will be used in it), he tells her this is him at his most masochistic. It is impossible to know what he means by this at first, but it ends up being an important line because it highlights the complexity of Bill's emotions.
By the end of this film, we know that prior to the story, Beatrix and Bill are in a romantic relationship. In fact, Beatrix is carrying his child when he shoots her, and the infant survives without her knowing. Their relationship first turns sour when Beatrix realizes she is pregnant. She does not want the child to grow up with the lifestyle she is living with Bill, and she runs away, still in love with him.
Bill becomes angry and tracks her down to find that she is getting married to someone else. Not only that, she is pregnant. Bill does not realize it is his child when he shoots her.
Bill tells her he is being a masochist when she calls him a sadist. These are two words that describe someone who finds pleasure with pain. While a sadist likes to inflict pain on other people, a masochist likes to be in pain. When he shoots her, he still loves her. It causes him deep, emotional pain as he does so. At the same time, he is taking revenge on how she wronged him, and that is pleasurable to him.
Bill's emotions are twisted, complicated and bittersweet, and that is the feeling I get from the resolution of the film. Beatrix clearly has feelings for him, but she also feels she needs revenge for everything he had put her through. In the end, the film goes from being a straight-up tale of vengeance to a complicated, tragic love story.
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Quentin Tarantino Month:
Introduction
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Pulp Fiction
Django Unchained
Inglourious Basterds
Jackie Brown
Reservoir Dogs
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