WARNING: No one who doesn't want to see billions of gallons of blood, severed limbs and super-duper graphic violence should ever see this movie...period. It is the most violent film I have ever seen and find it amazing it didn't get an NC-17 rating. I guess you can't show nudity in American films but bloody graphic violence is okay! What a world. This isn't a complaint against Tarantino--but one about the current insane rating system.

This film is not for everyone. In addition to the graphic violence, the film is an Americanized marital arts film with overtones of Italian westerns. If these sort of genres are not something you'd want to see, then once again the film is not one you'd appreciate. As for me, I am a huge fan of martial arts films and Spaghetti westerns, so it was right up my alley--even though I am not a fan of ultra-bloody films. And, because I have loved the films of Sonny Chiba and Shaw Brothers martial arts films, this movie is an absolute must as it is a loving tribute to the genre. So many references to these films are buried within the film, it's best you look through IMDb's trivia section before or after you see the film--then you'll REALLY appreciate the film! In addition to the martial arts angle, the film happens to be perhaps the coolest movie ever made. And, the coolest part of the film, to me, is the music. The soundtrack is simply brilliant and bizarre--from the haunting music of Zamfir to the quirky Japanese all-girl surfer band, the 5, 6, 7, 8s! Almost as cool are the costumes and characters. The 88s, the insane school girl assassin and the rest are really ridiculous but so, so cool. And, the film gets super-high points also for its strange style--ranging from an anime film within the film, a black & white segment and action scenes that go on practically forever! There is a lot more I could say about this film, but considering that it was released seven years ago and there are a zillion reviews for it already, I'll cut this short. While the film is intensely violent, for what it is you simply can't find any better. It is, in the action department, as good as it gets.

By the way, this is not a criticism of the film, but have you ever wondered why folks in films of the genre NEVER use guns to stop the hero? You'd think at least ONE of the 88s would have been carrying a gun in the huge fight scene in Japan!!

Tarantino's fourth effort and what a build-up; I hadn't seen a film this hyped up and over-covered since the release of the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. It's a good movie and even better for those who are fans of the same type of cinema as Tarantino: enjoy pretty much any '70s exploitation movie, from Shaw Brothers kung fu to Japanese samurai, blaxploitation and more, and you'll doubtless enjoy this one. However, this is not up to the level of Tarantino's previous offerings: the plot is wafer-thin and the dialogue is far more sparse than we're used to. His witty repartee is gone, instead replaced with plenty of black humour and more simplistic dialogue. The plot, which feels stretched (perhaps splitting the film in two wasn't such a good idea),involves Uma Thurman working her way through a hit list in a simple revenge drama. Tarantino's idea was to make just the kind of overblown trash movies he loved watching when younger, and he ably succeeded with this frenetic outing.

The movie is packed with action, and very violent action along with it. Japanese cinema is referenced in excessively bloody demises, where arterial fountains are the norm and limbs are chopped off like nobody's business. Elsewhere, you can't help but cheer as Thurman batters and mutilates her way through various killers, rapists, and hired help, and it helps that the actress puts her all into the film, especially physically; I don't think many actresses would be willing to undergo the punishment and unpleasant-looking stuff that Thurman suffers here. Of the other cast members, Lucy Liu makes for an ice cold villain whilst Vivica A. Fox has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it role. Asian film fans will enjoy seeing cult cinema icons Gordon Liu and Sonny Chiba pop up in welcome cameos. Plus there's an endless slew of film references, my favourite being the music taken from MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE! The infamous House of Blue Leaves massacre is easily the highlight of the movie, a twenty-minute action set-piece of outrageous proportions. Effects are purely basic, like those used in the '70s, with thankfully no CGI, and it pays off in spades. This film looks bloody and brilliant. It's just a shame that characterisation is so thin; Thurman has a cold heart which makes it impossible to identify with her at all. It's best just to sit back and enjoy the expertly-choreographed mayhem. Oh, and keep an eye out for the excellent anime sequence which fits perfectly rather than being out of place, which I feared it would be.

The Bride (Uma Thurman) awakens after 4 years in a coma. It was her wedding day and she was pregnant. She was attacked and now she has no child. She's after vengeance on her attackers. She kills Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) who has since become a suburban housewife. Then we see she has already crossed out O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu). Then it flashes back to the wedding and when one-eyed Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) tried to kill her in the hospital. She's saved at the last minute by a call from Bill (David Carradine). The last member of the deadly viper assassination squad is Budd (Michael Madsen).

Quentin Tarantino has created a simple action revenge movie reminiscent of the old exploitation kung fu Hong Kong action movies. This is an outrageously simplistic story that is highlighted by some great action scenes. It's a nice spin on the exploitation genre, but I don't know if it's necessary to have a two-parter. It's the only minor complaint I have about this. The story is way too simple to justify the extended running time. There are sections where Tarantino has stretched the movie a little too far. He tries his best to juice it up with some temporal juggling, mixed media, and eastern philosophy. But essentially this is an excuse to exercise some action filmmaking fetish. And it's beautiful when the action is so well done like the battle with O-Ren Ishii.