Kill Bill, Vol. 2

So all that wonderful chop-socky stuff was only a warmup. The second half of Quentin Taratino's valentine to '70s kung fu flicks reveals that there actually were characters under the pile of body parts we saw last October. Part two is far more patient and somber than the first half, letting Tarantino's celebrated dialogue take focus rather than the action most of the time. But fear not -- there's action to be had, like the brilliantly staged swordfight between the Bride (Uma Thurman) and her one-eyed rival Elle (a cackling Darryl Hannah, who is just wonderful) in a cramped trailer home with breakaway walls and a poisonous snake slithering around. And there's the obligatory Training Montage, with becomes comedic genius here with the volatile Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) barking orders and flicking his ridiculously long white beard in disdain. There's also a wonderfully claustrophic buried-alive sequence, and a sweet and touching flashback to the past between the Bride and Bill (David Carradine). If Volume 1 blew you away, Volume 2 will do it again. And if it didn't...well, maybe this one can change your mind.

Rating: *****