Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (2004) *****

Quentin Tarantino's second volume to his epic Kill Bill saga follows a more cerebral story than the first film. The action is scaled back to make room for a movie that Sergio Leone would love. It's a film filled with close ups, deranged dialogue, and a great sense of itself. It's hard to believe that at one time both these films were going to be one long movie. Volume 2 is so much different than it's predecessor that you have to wonder if both films as a whole would have been as great as they were separate.

After killing half of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, The Bride (Uma Thurman) prepares to murder and maim through the rest of her former co-workers and finally face the man that put a cap in her crown, Bill (David Carradine). That's the basic storyline- it's still a revenge tale that sweeps us across the country on a mission from hell. Whereas Volume One owes its soul to kung fu movies, Volume Two was born at the breast of the spaghetti western, where there were no consequences, just vast verandas to be filled with the carnage of the day. Tarantino knows the art of Leone and paints the first half of the film with images that Sergio and John Ford would be proud off. The desert is a dark and sinister place at night. Add to it the recklessness of Bill's brother Budd (Michael Madsen) and The Bride's arch nemesis Elle (Daryl Hannah) and you get what amounts to a Mexican stand off in the desert. No one trusts each other and they shouldn't- they're killers.

Once again Tarantino proves that he is a great artist who uses dialogue as his medium, particularly during the confrontation where Bill compares the Bride to Superman. No matter how much she tries to disguise herself as the pregnant wife of a record store owner she will always be a killer- she'll always be Bill's killer. It's dialogue like this that makes a scene that is typical Hollywood fluff and makes it cool. That's the thing about Tarantino- he makes well worn cliches cool.

Of course, the $64,000 question is which volume is better. It's really all a matter of preference. If you grew up with kung fu movies and their ilk you will enjoy the first volume. If spaghetti westerns are your game then you will prefer volume 2. I prefer the second volume, mainly because it slows itself down almost to a crawl, but you don't notice it. It's more cerebral than the constant hack and slash of the first movie and delivers an ending that may seem "wimperish", but is more grandiose than most. Kill Bill, Volume 2 is a great and enjoyable ride.