Uma Thurman rules every brutal minute of the 4½-hour ‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’

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The ending credits of “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” playfully credit the creation of the Bride character to “Q & U” – initials representing Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman. These simple, white letters resemble a youthful declaration of love, which is fitting because the film itself feels like a heartfelt message. It’s Tarantino’s tribute to Thurman, to the martial arts movies that influenced it, and to all movie lovers who happily spend a day at the cinema.

It’s a long and complex story, but essentially, “Kill Bill” follows Beatrix Kiddo – also known as the Bride and Black Mamba – as she seeks revenge on her former lover, Bill, and his Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. They tried to kill her on her wedding day, and now she’s out for payback. This version of the film is the complete epic that director Quentin Tarantino originally envisioned. Originally, Miramax split it into two movies, but “The Whole Bloody Affair” premiered at Cannes in 2006 and has been shown sporadically since then. It’s taken over a decade for it to finally get a widespread release.

The editing seamlessly connects the film’s two parts while maintaining a unique energy. It’s a remarkably ambitious movie that doesn’t rely on traditional build-ups; it confidently cuts between scenes, songs, and even genres, presenting them as fragments. The film’s overwhelming and exciting nature creates its own distinct mood. We’re not kept on the edge of our seats by suspense, but rather by the sheer weight of the Bride’s mission for revenge, perfectly captured when Bill’s brother, Budd, calmly states, “She deserves her revenge. We deserve to die. But then again, so does she. So I guess we’ll just see, won’t we?”

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As a huge movie fan, I’m already getting excited about the end of 2025! It looks like there’s going to be a ton of variety – everything from serious Oscar hopefuls like “Marty Supreme,” which stars Timothée Chalamet, to a totally revamped take on “Anaconda.” Honestly, it feels like there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy.

Despite its flashy action, “Kill Bill” is fundamentally a story about relationships. The Bride’s opponents, like Vernita Green, a former assassin now living a suburban life, propose their fights as elaborate, almost theatrical scenarios – a nighttime duel on a baseball field or a sunrise sword fight on the beach, imagining the spectacle Tarantino will create. However, Tarantino subverts expectations. Instead of delivering those cinematic showdowns, both women are killed in mundane, domestic settings, highlighting the film’s surprising focus on the personal rather than the epic.

The story jumps between locations – from Texas to Tokyo, China, and Mexico – and features a lot of deaths. However, it keeps returning to the idea that violence begins at home, both physically and emotionally. Bill commits a terrible act to hurt his former partner, and The Bride retaliates by killing many more people in revenge.

Even with his dying breath, Bill showed no remorse, stating that there are repercussions for hurting someone like him. The Bride’s strength lies in her restraint – she doesn’t play with her enemies. When a fight starts, she finishes it quickly and efficiently.

The updates to “Kill Bill: Volume 1” are subtle enough that most viewers won’t immediately notice them. Tarantino removes the cliffhanger ending and adds to an animated scene he originally couldn’t complete. One violent black-and-white fight is now shown in color, featuring the Bride whirling around and slicing through enemies with incredible speed—complete with over-the-top sound effects for the spraying blood.

Most fans will likely appreciate the change from the silly Klingon quote at the beginning to a heartfelt tribute to director Kinji Fukasaku, known for “Battle Royale.” There’s also a fun, animated scene after the credits featuring a character, Gogo Yubari’s sister Yuki, that Tarantino previously cut – and rightly so.

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The biggest shift has been in the overall attitude. Around ten years after “Kill Bill,” Hollywood began to act as if it had just discovered feminist action films. Movies like “Wonder Woman,” “Atomic Blonde,” and “Captain Marvel” – with its slogan, “Everything begins with a her(o)” – felt more focused on praising themselves than on delivering exciting action. Meanwhile, Tarantino became somewhat controversial – not entirely ‘canceled,’ but criticized. This was due to revelations about a car crash involving Uma Thurman during filming, and his well-known, and sometimes awkward, fascination with feet, which had been a running joke with audiences until some people found it inappropriate.

“Kill Bill” offered a more compelling take on female empowerment. It’s a powerful film centered on women, tackling difficult themes like miscarriage, sexual assault, and a failed assassination attempt that’s stopped when a character reveals she’s pregnant. The Bride is portrayed as fiercely maternal, even scolding a young attacker while disarming him with a sword. However, she and her fellow assassins are first and foremost skilled warriors, and their gender feels secondary – that’s where the film earns real respect. And the often-overlooked “Death Proof” from 2007, which expands on the strong bond between the Bride and her friends, remains just as impactful. Without the weight of expectations, that film could easily be considered a small masterpiece.

Okay, let me tell you about Gordon Liu’s character in this film. He’s fantastic, really embodying this old-school, tough-as-nails martial arts master – the same Gordon Liu you might remember from “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.” Now, be warned, the character is a product of his time, meaning he’s pretty… blunt, let’s say, in how he treats women. It’s actually a bit shocking, and I can see why Tarantino, for better or worse, wanted Uma Thurman to do her own stunts – he seemed to appreciate this uncompromising attitude. But honestly, what’s fascinating is how he doesn’t pull any punches with the Bride, treating her exactly like any other student. He’s brutally honest – calling her technique weak and even knocking her rice to the floor when she’s injured. It’s harsh, sure, but there’s a strange respect in that severity; he demands the same from her as he would from anyone else.

There’s a quiet strength in how she simply lifts her chopsticks, and it’s easy to see why Kobe Bryant named his competitive side after her. It’s deeply unsettling to consider that Bryant, at a low point in his life following a serious accusation, found inspiration in someone who experienced such trauma. And it’s equally jarring to see Harvey Weinstein credited as an executive producer at the start of this film. While legally unavoidable, it feels uncomfortable, yet strangely consistent with the film’s direct approach. The film acknowledges sexual violence as a harsh reality, presenting it without sensationalism or romanticizing the perpetrators. It’s disturbing and upsetting, but it’s presented matter-of-factly.

The hospital orderly, Buck (Michael Bowen), who sells the unconscious Bride is a foolish and unpleasant character. In fact, all the bad guys in this movie are pretty simple. Even the Bride’s fiancé, Tommy (Chris Nelson), seems like a clueless but kind-hearted guy who wasn’t very close to his girlfriend. However, characters like Bill are more complicated and nuanced.

When I first saw “Kill Bill,” I’ll admit I was pretty cynical. As someone who loves movies, I immediately fixated on the age difference between Bill and The Bride – 34 years! It just felt like another tired Hollywood trope where an older man gets the girl. Honestly, I was hoping the film would acknowledge how strange their relationship was, maybe even offer some explanation, like most movies do. I wanted it to see the imbalance and address it, but it didn’t.

The film quickly suggests she grew up without parents and he had a complicated relationship with his father, possibly creating a connection between them. However, the movie doesn’t explain how they first met or when their relationship began. It also leaves her past unclear – we don’t know if she was naive before working with a hitman. It’s unclear whether he recruited her to replace another assassin, Elle Driver, though the actress playing Elle delivers a performance that suggests he might have.

Watching all of “Kill Bill,” it’s surprising how much remains unclear about the Bride and Bill’s relationship – the core of all the violence. Even more strangely, it doesn’t feel like that mystery needs an answer. Uma Thurman’s expressions reveal the complicated and damaging nature of their connection. You can see a mix of sadness, love, anger, pain, and even a glimmer of hope in her face. Sometimes, like in the shot of her curled up on the bathroom floor, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what she’s feeling – maybe it’s all of those emotions at once.

Uma Thurman truly shines when fully immersed in the role. The most impactful scene for me occurs after a lengthy and violent sequence, following a brief pause in the action. It flashes back to the moments just before the chapel shooting, when the Bride briefly believes she’s about to have the happy family she always wanted. Her naiveté in that moment is particularly heartbreaking.

When Bill arrived, I was surprised he didn’t immediately lash out. He actually seemed to want her forgiveness, maybe even her approval. It was almost unsettling. She playfully called him out when he mocked her new husband’s hair, saying, “You promised you’d be nice.” I could tell she was a little scared of him, but she still held onto this hope that his better nature would prevail. Little did she know, she was going to have to fight for her life – with everything she had: swords, knives, her fists, and every bit of strength she could muster.

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2025-12-05 23:32