{image1}How exactly does one review half a film? That's the problem with attempting to judge Quentin Tarantino's latest work, "Kill Bill Volume 1." Part two isn't due in theaters for months and since part one is a cliffhanger, it has no real ending.
One thing we know going into the film is that the main character, a professional killer played by Uma Thurman, cannot die in these 90 minutes. Else, what would we watch in part two?
The Bride has just awoken from a four-year coma, during which time she's been whored out by a male ward nurse, and she's got a list of people upon whom she will exact revenge for the brutal shooting that put her in the coma. She was pregnant and at her wedding and her unborn child was one of nine murdered that day.
Using her massive skills as a samurai, knife wielder, acrobat and martial artist, The Bride makes fairly quick work of the first few folks on her list. The rest, we presume, will be summarily dealt with in part two.
Thurman rivals Jennifer Garner for her kicks-really-high skills, and she's able to alternate her tough gal attitude with some light one liners Tarantino tosses in, we presume as relief from his turgid dialogue, which rarely rises about hackneyed.
And that's one of the problems with "Kill Bill." Unless Tarantino is subtly parodying the action films of the '60s and '70s -- from spaghetti westerns to blaxploitation to kung fu flicks and television's "Charlie's Angels" -- "Kill Bill" is little more than a genre-hopping bag of clichés.
The fight scenes are action-packed and the sword battles are loaded with the sort of high-flying dreamy action that made "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" so watchable. But, since we know there's no chance of The Bride getting flayed, it's all a little ho-hum.
And, from the "Pussy Wagon" to the catfights, the entire film - which we'd like to read as a testament to the strength of women - looks more like the wet dream of a 14-year-old boy. In that sense, "Kill Bill" is like most of Tarantino's other work; heavy on action and blood (you'll see more in 90 minutes than an ER nurse sees in a year) and light on purpose.
Although Tarantino has formidable filmmaking skills, he's clearly got nothing worthwhile to say, which explains why he seems to have dished up variations on the same theme for a decade now. What a waste, unless your taste for onscreen blood is unquenchable.
"Kill Bill Volume 1" opens everywhere Fri., Oct. 10.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
