movies

Kill Bill

A troubling movie that doesn't quite live up to its promise.

I have a theory about this movie. As many have been saying, it's not an homage to the grind house films -- it is a grind house film. And without the makers of cultural difference that characterize those films -- the poorly translated subtitles, the otherness of the people and locales -- the viewer is forced to directly confront the world view from which these movies spring. I found myself yearning for more backstory, but I think if I truly grokked the cultural underpinnings of kung-fu action movies I wouldn't need backstory -- the honor/revenge arc would in and of itself be enough.

But it wasn't enough for me. And the action set pieces were underwhelming -- Tarantino is not an action director.