"Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" is Finally Here
When writer/director Quentin Tarantino first conceived, wrote, and filmed “Kill Bill” it was always intended to be released as a single movie. It was only when he brought his 4+ hour kung fu epic to his producers that he faced an ultimatum - either extensively cut out the myriad side tangents, flashbacks, and animated sequences, or release the film in two parts. Unwilling to cut scenes, Tarantino went with the second option.
In 2003 I walked out of Kill Bill Vol. 1 for the first time at the Regal Riverview in South Philadelphia, and I practically levitated to my car. Everything about this long-anticipated first chapter had more than lived up to the hype, but I could not believe the cliffhanger the movie ended on before it cut to black. I didn’t know how I was going to wait seven months for a resolution.
Viewers of the newly released “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” won’t have that experience, because they were never intended to. After 22 years of waiting, wide audiences can finally see both “Kill Bill” films re-edited into one giant, 4.5 hour-long, re-edited masterpiece in theaters. That cliffhanger ending that blew my mind in 2003 has been cut from the film, which means first-time viewers won’t find out the movie’s biggest secret until the very end. I cannot imagine how exhilarating it would have been to experience the movie like that for the first time.
In addition to this major change, “The Whole Bloody Affair” also cuts the recap from the beginning of “Vol. 2.” It adds a much-needed 15 minute intermission to the middle for theatrical screenings, and also a brand-new extended story in the animated sequence, fleshing out the origin of O-Ren Ishii.
Watching this reunited movie in one long sitting never feels like a drag. I’ve seen “Vol. 1” and “Vol. 2” countless times. I just watched both on 35mm back in August at the Hollywood Theater while on vacation in Portland, OR. With them both so fresh in my mind, I wondered if I might get a little antsy. Not the case - I was locked in for every second.
What stood out the most for me on this watch was the performance by Uma Thurman. This was not an easy shoot for her, and it infamously impacted her relationship with Tarantino for years after. Still, the performance is undeniable. It’s simply one of the best by any actor or actress this century. The movie doesn’t work with anyone else.
If you now count “Kill Bill” as one movie, which the director always has, Quentin Tarantino has made nine films in his career. I love them all to varying degrees, and in my head I’ve always struggled to rank them. “Pulp Fiction” was such a massive influence on my love for movies when it came out that it always defaulted to the top. But now that I’ve finally experienced Tarantino’s epic revenge saga as a single movie, I can now say with confidence that “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” is his best film.
Rating: 10/10
