Kill Bill: Vol. I

(Quentin Tarantino, US 2003, 111 min., 35mm)

Quentin and Uma. By the time Quentin Tarantino approached Kill Bill: Vol 1, he had tackled and mastered the gangster and Blaxploitation genres. The Kill Bill saga combines the samurai, kung fu, and yakuza genres to construct a hyper-stylized modern take, which refreshingly exchanges the tired samurai role for a fierce female assassin in a sleek yellow leather jumpsuit. Reuniting Tarantino with Uma Thurman, who also collaborated on the story, the film stars Thurman as the Bride, who, having fled life as an assassin, is pregnant and set to marry when she is viciously attacked and sent into a coma. She wakes four years later to the realization that the only possible opportunity for a normal life has been stolen from her. She pledges to take revenge on her former colleagues and their leader, Bill. In typical Tarantino fashion, Kill Bill is packed to the brim with cinematic references and wild, over-the-top violence.

Come back for more: Kill Bill: Vol. 2 screens Saturday, December 12.