Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quentin Tarantino (character The Bride) &
Uma Thurman (character The Bride) ...

Release Date:

16 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Plot:

The murderous Bride continues her vengeance quest against her ex-boss, Bill, and his two remaining associates; his younger brother Budd, and Bill's latest flame Elle.

Plot Keywords:

Wuxia Fiction | Head In Toilet | Australia | Hattori Hanzo | Coffin

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 9 wins & 38 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Aug. 3	10:15 PM	TBS
Mon. Aug. 4	3:15 AM	TBS

Cast

Uma Thurman	...	Beatrix Kiddo - The Bride, 'Black Mamba'
David Carradine	...	Bill - 'Snake Charmer'
Lucy Liu	...	O-Ren Ishii (archive footage)
Vivica A. Fox	...	Vernita Green (archive footage)
Chia Hui Liu	...	Pai Mei (as Gordon Liu)
Michael Madsen	...	Budd - 'Sidewinder'
Daryl Hannah	...	Elle Driver
Michael Parks	...	Esteban Vihaio
Bo Svenson	...	Reverend Harmony
Jeannie Epper	...	Mrs. Harmony
Stephanie L. Moore	...	Joleen
Shana Stein	...	Erica
Caitlin Keats	...	Janeen
Christopher Allen Nelson	...	Tommy Plympton (as Chris Nelson)
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Rufus

Also Known As:

Kill Bill (USA) (closing credits title)
Kill Bill 2 (USA) (informal title)
Vol. 2 (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and brief drug use.

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese | Mandarin | Spanish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | USA:R (certificate #40699) | Canada:18A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Hungary:18 | USA:NC-17 (Special Edition DVD) | Malaysia:18SG (re-rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Israel:16 | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Poland:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | South Africa:16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Barstow, California, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The Character Pai Mei is based on Pak Mei, the originator of the "White Eyebrow" kung fu technique. According to legend, Pak Mei was one of the few masters left following the decimation of the Buddhist temples, and later sold out other masters to save himself and his team during an attack they had mounted that subsequently went wrong. For this reason, Pak Mei Kung Fu has always been known as the "forbidden technique," and Pak Mei himself has been a villainous figure in Chinese folklore and film for hundreds of years.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: As with Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), the many continuity lapses and other apparent technical errors are a matter of deliberate stylistic choice in this pastiche of 1970s "B" action movies.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bill: Do you find me sadistic? You know, Kiddo, I'd like to believe that you're aware enough even now to know that there's nothing sadistic in my actions. At this moment, this is me at my most masochistic.
The Bride: Bill, it's your baby.

Movie Connections:

References Furankenshutain no kaijû: Sanda tai Gaira (1966)

Soundtrack:

A Satisfied Mind

Master film-making!

Kill Bill: Vol 2 is a whole new ball-game. Whether you assess the film by virtue of its incisive dialog, its brilliant direction, acting par excellance or simply its `appeal,' there is but one factor - Tarantino. QT is to cinematic originality what Kubrick brought to deep space, and beyond the infinite!

A lifetime of forgettable movies excepting BOUND FOR GLORY and arguably Scorcese's BOXCAR BERTHA, is erased for Carradine overnight thanks to Tarantino. As Bill, Carradine has handed in his greatest performance to date.that is to say, QT drew it out of him. The `Old Grasshopper' conveys charm, menace.all the wordly acoutrements his profession would have brought to him. Playing the reed flute that he carved himself from a bamboo plantaton he actually set-up while still making Kung-Fu episodes, Carradine's first appearance outside the small church in El Paso set the scene for the entire movie. He commands our attention from that moment on. His last line, `How do I look?' was delivered with such believable sincerity and emotive sadness, it closed a chapter in Beatrix's and the viewer's recent experiences with remarkably good taste. The smallest part in this movie, from Samuel Jackson's cameo thru Bo Svenson's preacher to Michael Parks' gifted little turn as the crafty old Esteban is just flawless acting of the highest calibre.

QT 'regular' Madsen also scores with arguably his best portrayal in years as the alkified retired gang-member Budd (aka Sidewinder). He really looked the sad dead-beat that he had become.

The flashback sequences are never overlong, out of place or anything but chronologically correct. Everything from Volume 1 is explained. Beatrix's Kung-Fu training sequences with Master Pai Mai might be considered by many, the high point of the film. Certainly Tarantino's love of old Samurai flicks is evidenced throughout, especially in the brief but beautiful silhouette-shots of Master and pupil training. Nice touch too towards the end (I don't wish to give anything away here) where `X' and `Y' are watching SHOGUN ASSASSIN.

The final twenty minutes of the movie fully justify the term `awesome.' At the point Beatrix finally confronts Bill, no-one in the audience would be expecting to see what they do. All I will say is that the `little girl' involved is the most appealing and touchingly innocent little thing I have ever seen in a film. It was a master-stroke of casting, scripting and cinematography. A lot more I would like to say but cannot, without ruining the film for any future viewers.

In my opinion, no film ever made betters this!