Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quentin Tarantino, Quentin Tarantino (character The Bride) (as Q)

Stars:

Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah

Top Rated Movies #171 | Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 27 wins & 101 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Uma Thurman	...	The Bride
Lucy Liu	...	O-Ren Ishii
Vivica A. Fox	...	Vernita Green
Daryl Hannah	...	Elle Driver
David Carradine	...	Bill
Michael Madsen	...	Budd
Julie Dreyfus	...	Sofie Fatale
Chiaki Kuriyama	...	Gogo Yubari
Shin'ichi Chiba	...	Hattori Hanzo (as Sonny Chiba)
Chia-Hui Liu	...	Johnny Mo (as Gordon Liu)
Michael Parks	...	Earl McGraw
Michael Bowen	...	Buck
Jun Kunimura	...	Boss Tanaka
Kenji Ohba	...	Bald Guy (Sushi Shop) (as Kenji Oba)
Yuki Kazamatsuri	...	Proprietor

Storyline

The lead character, called 'The Bride,' was a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, led by her lover 'Bill.' Upon realizing she was pregnant with Bill's child, 'The Bride' decided to escape her life as a killer. She fled to Texas, met a young man, who, on the day of their wedding rehearsal was gunned down by an angry and jealous Bill (with the assistance of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad). Four years later, 'The Bride' wakes from a coma, and discovers her baby is gone. She, then, decides to seek revenge upon the five people who destroyed her life and killed her baby. The saga of Kill Bill Volume I begins.

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Plot Keywords:

bride | revenge | sword | japan | martial arts | 

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Taglines:

This October, Go For The Kill

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese French

Release Date:

10 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kill Bill

Filming Locations:

American Cement Building, 2404 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,089,322, 12 October 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$70,099,045, 28 May 2012

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$180,949,045, 28 May 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax,A Band Apart,Super Cool ManChu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Uma Thurman is approaching "The Bells" house, "Music Box Dancer" is playing in the background. Frank Mills composed this song after several years of performing in a band called "The Bells".

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Goofs

It would have been impossible for The Bride to have a katana (or any weapon for that matter) on the plane or in the airport, as international regulations forbid such weapons from being brought on board or even stowed in luggage.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bill: Do you find me sadistic? You know, I bet I could fry an egg on your head right now, if I wanted to. You know, Kiddo, I'd like to believe that you're aware enough even now to know that there's nothing sadistic in my actions. Well, maybe towards those other... jokers, but not you. No Kiddo, at this moment, this is me at my most...
[cocks pistol]
Bill: masochistic.
The Bride: Bill... it's your baby...
[BLAM!]

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Crazy Credits

During the opening credits, the actors playing the members of the Deadly Viper assassination squad are listed according to their number on The Bride's death list

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Alternate Versions

The print which places the "Written and Directed ..." credit before the final scene has The Bride talking to Bill on the church porch fade to full color when she asks "How did you find me?", whereas the other print only colorizes her eyes and earrings.

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Connections

Referenced in Sprængfarlig bombe (2006)

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Soundtracks

White Lightning
Written by Charles Bernstein
Performed by Charles Bernstein
Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Music, Inc.

User Reviews

one of the best films of all time

Arguably this should not be a difficult film to review. It is nothing less than brilliant. The story, the direction, the musical score, the casting, the acting, the dialog, the fight choreography, the inset homage to past films ... brilliant.

Just brilliant.

What makes this film tricky to review is not the film but ironically the film-maker.

I do not know the deep background here but I am guessing that QT, at the very height of his creative powers, locked himself in a cabin in the woods for a month and put this opus together. And essentially (in the view of this reviewer) not only created one of the best films of all time but essentially defined his own career by setting a bar so high that even his own future work could not equal it.

And there you have it. The hard part of the review.

The film is perfection. But in my view QT has yet to produce anything that comes close either in terms of final product or even in terms of effort expended.