Please note that this is a review of the film only. I do not watch bonus discs, director's comments/cuts or anything like these, therefore I won't comment on them in this review.

Written by Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarrantino, and directed by Quentin Tarrantino, Kill Bill is a story of blood thirsty revenge that was released back in October 2003.

****Synopsis****

The Bride suddenly awakes from a four year coma. The wedding in El Paso was meant to be perfect, however it went horribly wrong and with husband gone and the loss of her unborn daughter there is nothing left and nothing to lose. Despite her ordeal the Bride has flash backs of that day and remembering who did what, she has one thing on her mind.......revenge.

****My opinion****

This is one seriously violent and 'messed up' film, but then given it is directed by Quentin Tarrantino, who is renowned for over the top violent films, this is to be expected. From the opening scene the over the top foul language, and blood flows all the way through to the end, and in some cases it is just too much. The blood baths through decapitation, slicing off limbs, stabbing etc. are very graphic and there were times when it was just too much and way over the top for my liking.

The overall story line was totally unrealistic and I thought it lacked originality and depth, yet it kept my attention throughout. I was captivated and wanted to see how it was concluded. Whilst this film is not thought provoking, but then given the genre I guess it would have been naive to think it would be, I found that it did have me asking questions throughout, most of which were answered and I guess the remaining ones will be answered in Kill Bill Volume 2.

In my opinion this film is very disjointed and whilst the story progresses at a fair pace it does keep jumping between the past and present, which I actually found quite annoying. I appreciate that this method 'fills in the gaps' and answers any questions the viewers may have as the story unfolds but, in my opinion, there are better ways this can be achieved. I also disliked the way in which the film moved from the main character telling a story to her being in the present. In addition a couple of other things that annoyed me about this film was the way it was split into different chapters and the amount of 'cartoon scenes', which did absolutely nothing for me.

The one-on-one fighting scenes were simply awesome and Uma Thurman and co did an absolutely amazing job. The originality of the moves, the speed of execution and the choreography was mind blowing and made up for the lack of realism (not many people will immediately jump up after being stabbed, thrown through a glass table etc. and retaliate against the aggressor), but this lack of realism is the same in all similar films. Whilst the one-on-one battles were brilliant I think the group bouts were a bit of a letdown, and the 'main' one was particularly poor.

The main group battle was simply ridiculous and lacked any realism whatsoever, and the outcome against so many assailants is just nonsense and the carnage and amount of blood was just too farfetched for me. I also found this battle too long and it got very boring and it got to the point where I was willing it to end and the film to carry on, and to make matters worse just when I though the fight was over a load more enemies turned up to be slaughtered. Clock watching during a film is not good since it is often the point of no return although this film did manage to recapture my attention before I got too bored.

There were other scenes which could have been executed better and just weren't right, such as the aeroplane scene and the motorcycle scene. These two scenes in particular were pretty poor and with the technology available I would have thought the producers could have pulled something out of the bag with both of these.

Personally, I think a sound track can make or break a film and the sound track to this film is simply brilliant. Every track and musical piece used was simply spot on and so was the timing of it which really enhanced the film and made for an improved viewing experience.

So, would I recommend this film? With so many unanswered questions this is only half a film although I think it is very entertaining, even with its flaws. It isn't Tarrantino at his best and I can't see this ever becoming a 'classic' but it is definitely worth having in your DVD collection.

Personally, I think this film is only suitable in certain circumstances. There are some films that are great any time and any place but Kill Bill is not one of these. If you like films that are deep, meaningful and thought provoking but don't like mindless violence, graphic blood scenes and foul Kill Bill definitely isn't for you, however if this statement does not apply then you may just like it.

****The main cast****

The Bride - Uma Thurman
Vernita Green - Vivica A Fox
O-Ren Ishii - Lucy Liu
Elle Driver - Daryl Hannah
Bill - David Carradine
Gogo Yubari - Chiaki Kuriyama

****Other****

Run time - 111 minutes
Certificate - 18
12 award wins, 41 nominations and a nomination for a Golden Globe