Nate's DVD Collection ~ Kill Bill Volume 2

After scratching off two names on her list, The Bride is now on her way to finish off Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) AKA Sidewinder and California Mountain Snake before moving on to the final showdown her biggest quarry. The audience, of course, has learned something in the final scene of Kill Bill Volume 1 that our hero does not yet realize and it's the anticipation of this discovery that keeps us on the edge of our seats throughout the film.

On the way we learn more about the Bride's relationship with Bill. Wen witness her humble beginnings as the student of the legendary Kung-Fu master, Pai Mei (played by Gordon Liu) as the movie pays homage to martial arts training movies as well as spaghetti westerns in the final half of the film.

The cast from the original film make appearances here and are credited in the ending sequence as this was a film cut for time.

Gordon Liu plays Pai Mei since Lo Leigh the original actor who played Pai Mei had passed away before the film began shooting.

• Master Damo Deleted Scene

• Behind The Scenes Look at The Making of Kill Bill Volume 2

• Kill Bill Volume 2 Premier – CHINGON Performance

We finally get to see David Carradine's pretty face and to hear his voice which will never be equaled.(Dammit David, I wish I could quit you) Whereas he hid behind the camera in the scenes of the original film we now get to see the face of the man we are supposed to want dead but wind up actually feeling sad for in the end.

That's what I love about this final chapter in the story of Kill Bill. In Volume 1 we kind of accept that O-Ren Ishii was killed because her life was conducive to either killing or being killed. And although there are people who loved O-Ren, her Vernita Green's stories tend to stand apart from the remaining people on the list.

We see Budd's life and we learn that not only is he Bill's brother, but that he is currently not speaking to him. We see him working a job he hates for a boss he could easily mop the floor with but doesn't and I swear there's not a person watching the movie who can't say, “I've been there”.

There's an added subtext to the relationship when we get a much closer look at Elle Driver. The one-eyed assassin with a gift for poisons and a mouth that we learn gets her into more trouble than she's worth. Bill is a sucker for blonds. Elle has a thing for Bill and the meme going around on line is that she and Budd were former lovers before Bill got in the way. Did this really happen or is it the fans adding their own theories to the story?

It's never made clear in the Making of Featurettes but the point is that you can't help but actually sympathizing with Budd in this one. Elle you like even less so but at least we kind of see more of her as the envious and conniving bitch that we met in Volume 1.

Finally, what I like most about this movie is the beginning sequence, which begins with Uma Thurman giving us the back story in her opening monologue which is a lot like a spoken version of the opening text crawl we see in a lot of “sequel” films. Only this is much nicer because we see the fire in her eyes and hear the venom in her voice that gets you excited and makes you want to see the rest of it.

Echoing my complaint from the previous film is why this movie couldn't have just been released as one instead of two. We were told that in 2003 Uma Thurman is going to Kill Bill. But instead the movie ends mid-story and it is in fact 2004 when Uma gives Bill a surprise of her own.

Think I'm complaining too much? Watch the trailer presented to us in the first Kill Bill. The trailer includes scenes from both movies and clearly says “Kill Bill”, not “Kill Bill Volume 1.” The end of Kill Bill Volume 2 credits the actors from the first movie, indicating that this was in fact all filmed relatively close together and that the movies were simply cut in two.

I rest my case.

Currently you can get both movies as a box set, which would make a great gift or you can buy them separately. I would recommend buying separately and used, preferably in a store like FYE where you can be guaranteed that they were tested and won't trash your DVD player. The latter is definitely cheaper although the box set may have some more features.

Take all of those things I mentioned in the Volume 1 hub and add drug usage and a “Texas Funeral” and you tell me if you still want your little ones watching this.