Blood Becomes Art: Kill Bill

Kill Bill vol.1 (2003) & vol.2 (2004), written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, is one of my favourite movies. This is more uncommon than I thought as many people I know do not like Tarantino's style. They think his films are too violent and gory, and lack a message. News flash: movie-making is not about giving messages or educating the audience. It is just about creating art. Movies are great at delivering messages, but it's definitely not their sole purpose. Art is a wide concept, it is subjective. Some like it, some hate it. Tarantino's movies are definitely not made regarding the audience's favour. He makes movies for himself, movies that he would like to watch. This enables him to make original movies that do not have the blockbuster characteristics. So, his style is not for everyone. However, it's made for me. The first time I watched one of his works, I was mesmerized. It had everything I wanted to see in a movie. His movies became personal to me. Before I even knew it, he became my favourite director.

I love all his movies, especially his earlier works, but Kill Bill has a special place in my heart. It is a movie that I consider as perfect-I say "a movie" 'cause it feels like a single movie-It is the epitome of movie-making. I can watch it everyday, everywhere. This is one of Tarantino's most violent movies. Lots of fake blood was used on the set. Even though many people hate this aspect, I think it is what makes the movie. It would not be the same without all that blood & gore. It would not be a Tarantino movie. It is his signature. Yet, some people still have the nerve to ask him to turn the violence down. Here's him explaining the violence in his movies.

It may not be your thing, but it does not mean you can order him to change his style just to please you. It's alright, not everybody can have great film taste.

Another one I love about his movies is that he is not afraid to represent women in his movies. It is a hard thing for most male directors so they have women as side characters rather than main ones. While it is okay to keep doing what you know best, I love it when directors step out of their comfort zones (though I'm not sure if Tarantino has one). Kill Bill is a movie about revenge, betrayal as well as motherhood, and female rage. I LOVE female rage. The movie follows a woman who was shot at her wedding day by her ex. She was also pregnant. She somehow ends up comatose rather than dying. When she wakes up, she makes a death list to destroy Bill, her ex, and his helpers. Tarantino does not tell you the main character's name until vol.2. he simply refers to her as "the Bride". She is portrayed as merciless and very violent, while also being vulnerable as she is grieving her unborn baby. It is a hard concept for a man to write about, but Tarantino did it greatly. While some people disagree, I think it is a very feminist movie. It manages to create a complex woman that does so many bad things, but is not portrayed as the villian. She is an anti-hero and a great one at that. Also, Tarantino is not afraid to use more disturbing themes than blood, like rape. The thing that differs him from other male directors using disturbing themes is that he does not use them to attract the male audience. Violence and female depression are not romanticized. He uses them both to enhance female rage.

This movie's cinematography is a whole another subject to talk about. Every shot is a piece of art. From the colour palette to the camera angles, it i perfect. The colours are very vibrant and there is a lot of yellow used as it is The Bride's signature colour. The fight scenes are peak cinematography. I still think about the black&white, and the blue shadowy one. They are unique. The blue one is even my phone background. I am simply obsessed. Of course, I have to talk about the feet shots. It is a Tarantino thing. He likes feet. However, he does not use feet as an erotic thing all the time. In Kill Bill, the feet shots are far from sexy. It is just feet and it is unique to him. Another signature shot of Tarantino is his trunk shots. He basically uses the perpective of a car's trunk in some scenes. Some examples are:

Kill Bill

Pulp Fiction

Reservoir Dogs

The last and a personal favourite is the acting. Obviously, it is amazing. Every character was clearly casted with expertise. I cannot think of anyone else playing these characters, all of them. Also, Tarantino's decision to wait for Uma Thurman (The Bride) to shoot the film as she was pregnant at the time was definitely the right choice. Uma first played Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction (1994). There is also a scene where Mia actually tells the plot of Kill Bill. This proves that Tarantino's movies take place in the same universe. Also, the ads of his made-up cigarette brand, Red Apple Cigarettes, in his movies is another proof of this. I think it is a very insteresting concept.

Kill Bill

Pulp Fiction

Also, I loved Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii in vol.1. She was amazing.

Tarantino also uses the art of axagerration to make it seem like a superhero comic. When someone shot, their leg falls off or their head blows up. There is more blood than a realistic amount. This comic-like shots become more obvious as some scenes are literally drawn as a comic book page. Like this:

I could continue talking about this movie for pages, but this is the appropriate amount for the internet. Just give this movie a shot, you'll like it.