KILL BILL (VOL. 1) [2003] Uma Thurman ; R 18

It was a long wait, but finally Quentin Tarantino is back with 'Kill Bill', 'a roaring rampage of revenge', or at least that's what the movie poster claims. I've always been quite open about the fact that I'm not a big Tarantino fan, I think his movies are great pieces of cinema, but I'm actually not that turned on by his particular style of direction, even though very unique it may be. There is no denying however that he is a truly great director and this, his fourth film, does nothing but aid that sentiment. The movie however, does stray a bit  from Tarantino's usual style, most noticeably by the toning down of his trademark dialogue. Nevertheless the film still looks and feels like a Tarantino movie, it's just this time, the stylisation is emphasized more through the action, set pieces and visual depiction, which does in fact more than compensate for the absence of his usual 'at the forefront' script. The story is a basic tale of revenge, after Uma Thurman's character gets left for dead on her wedding day by her former associates. With the movie essentially being in 2 parts, this being part 1, it would be premature to denounce this film as another classic, but it would also be un-just to not praise its undeniable excellence. I just hope the second and concluding part to the story lives up to the standard that this movie sets. A master class in cinematic story telling, this film is a must see.

5/5