Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

(In theaters, October 2003) Given that this is the first part of a single work, it’s probably best to wait until Volume 2 to comment on the whole work. But for those Tarantino mega-fans, there’s no doubt that Quentin is back doing what he knows best. Tons of references, oodles of cool, plenty of unusual thrills and a love for flashy cinematography makes even this first volume a breath of fresh air in a mainstream landscape dominated by hack directors and by-the-numbers movies. It speaks volumes, I think, that the imagined reality of the film feels completely comfortable. I’m a film geek and this half of Kill Bill makes me happy because I’m a film geek. I’m still not convinced that splitting the film in half was a good decision, but the measured pace at which Kill Bill unfolds makes the anticipation and the suspense of the direction work in its favour. Otherwise, well, there are plenty of nice things to say about the acting, the action, the gore (or black-and-white abstraction of gore), the self-indulgence, the soundtrack and/or the very black humour. But we’ll wait until Volume 2 to do that. One thing is sure, though, and it’s that I’ll be there opening day for the second half of it.