DH and I finally had a chance to watch Kill Bill, vol 2 last night.
As with all Quentin Tarantino films, it feels somehow wrong to say "I enjoyed it," but I did. I admire Tarantino's ability to put together a scene, and I think the martial arts stuff was stunning. I did find some flashback scenes interminable, though, because I already knew what was coming... they were painfully long.
I don't know that I've read any reviews of this movie; if I did, it was so long ago that I've forgotten. But my overall impression coming away from it is: I don't buy it. I don't buy for one second that the Bride, discovering she's pregnant, switches instantaneously from being a killing machine into something that will do anything to protect her unborn child.
Oh, I get what Tarantino was going for: she's the Lionness, and all's right with the world now she's back with her cub... but seriously, QT? No. Lionnesses don't go on rampages wiping out entire prides of lions. Or if they do, I've been remiss in my Animal Planet and National Geographic Channel watching, because Discovery Channel has missed this scoop entirely.
We're supposed to believe that Bride wouldn't get an abortion at her earliest possible convenience? Why wouldn't she? She never even considers an abortion, as if Tarantino was somehow too squeamish to approach the subject, which is ludicrous considering the bloodbaths he has produced.
Tarantino wants to have it both ways: Bride is a savage animal, she can kill anyone or anything without a flicker of remorse. Suddenly, she's pregnant, and that one tiny life, representing nothing really but a major inconvenience to her at that point, is the means by which she suddenly realizes that life -- well, at least this particular life -- is precious?
Perhaps, but, if that were so, wouldn't we see some hint or sign that this recognition of the value of life had percolated a bit more through her soul, and wasn't just an isolated incident? Couldn't we at least expect her to spare Bill, especially having seen how he cared for B.B. all the years she was in her coma?
No dice -- the only life of any value is B.B.'s, apparently. So, what good is that? Not much, I'm afraid. Tarantino's really got to work on these mixed messages he's sending.
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