Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #175342 in DVD
• Rating: NC-17
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 247 minutes

Customer Reviews

Hell hath no fury indeed
"There are consequences to breaking the heart of a murdering bastard."-Bill
Yeah, well there are similiar consequences to shooting the world's greatest assassin in the head at her wedding rehearsal without finishing the job, as Bill and his crew of murderers find out. Finally we get the real uncut, spruced up, reconfigured, and awesome martial arts masterwork from Quentin Tarantino as it oughtta be seen. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the original cut(s) of the films and nobody does out-of-sequence storytelling better than Tarantino, but seeing the saga's two parts melded into one cohesive, linear story promises to be a real treat for those of us who can't get enough of Uma Thurman as a murderous assassin (known by many names but usually referred to as "The Bride") and her gore-filled quest for vengeance. "Kill Bill: Volume 1" was an awesomely gory extravaganza of excess, action, violence, and homages to Japanese cinema. "Volume 2" was an entirely different creature, favoring acting over action and fleshing out the world and the characters living in it with scenes straight out of westerns, a discussion about comics, the madatory strip club, a suprisingly low-key final confrontation, and plenty of the kind of dialogue you only hear in a Tarantino flick. Fusing the two into a single entity is something I've pondered with much excitement since the day I last walked out of the theater when "Volume 2" opened. Due to certain "problems" with Miramax's parent company, this cut was shelved for years and the planned theatrical run was killed. What makes "Kill Bill" such a one-of-a-kind experience is the unique blending of all of the things we film geeks love: samurai swords, gallows humor, yakuza gangs (namely the "Crazy 88's", named not because there are 88 of them, but because it sounds cool), kung-fu masters with long beards, stark horror (check out the burial scene straight out of a Wes Craven flick), femme fatales, pimps, and Samuel L Jackson (as a blind pianist) for starters. There is even an anime segment that is so brutal and harsh that it makes the stylized live-action violence that follows seem cartoonish by comparison. Then, of course, there is the vengeance; sweet, sweet revenge. All that is just a sampling of what this film offers. And let us not forget the soundtrack, a cornerstone of any Tarantino product. Where else could Uma Thurman cut down scores of yakuza ninja to the sounds of Motown after calling out their leader as a Native-American war chant sounds? There's also Johnny Cash (always in style), a Japanese all-girl rockabilly trio, and a whistled ditty that will stick in your head for weeks. Tarantino even lifted the theme song from the film he pilfered the most from (the legendary "Lady Snowblood") to really put us into the genre. The RZA, who has since become THE name in Asian-American crossover film scoring, proves an excellent collaberator and treats us to the best theme song this side of "Shaft" for yakuza boss O-Ren Ishii. No expense was spared to put us into the world of the genres Tarantino loves; and you can tell he wants us to love them as well. Nobody does soundtracks better, period. The standout performances are too numerous to mention, but major cred points to Quentin for bringing in the legendary Sonny Chiba for a brillaint role as a swordmaker, and Chiaki Kuriyama of "Battle Royale" fame who engages Uma Thurman in one of the greatest duels I've ever witnessed. This new cut promises to incorporate the small things we Americans missed out on the first time, including an entirely full-color version of the epic "Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves" (though the black-and-white segment was so classically cool, one would think it was a creative decision) among other things. So yeah, you could say I've been looking forward to this cut....for years....many long, long years. Whether or not it's a major improvement will have to wait and be seen, but I can assure you it will be a new way to see an already unbelievable filming accomplishment that I never could get enough of.

At long last... But where is it?
After I saw Kill Bill v2 in the theaters I made the conscious decision to hold off buying the DVDs till I could get both volumes in one, big, awesome special edition, and not as separate disks. Now at last it's here... or is it? I as type this review out I see that not only is "The Whole Bloody Affair" is NOT available from Amazon, but I don't even see it available from the second-hand/partner vendors either! At this time there isn't even so much as a "Notify Me When This Comes Available" option. So that begs the question, what good is a movie that can't be gotten in any way, shape, or form, no matter how great it may be?

Be that as it may, when this comes back to the market, (and it's bound to sooner or later, be as a DVD, HD-DVD, or BluRay), I WILL get this one no matter what.

She is gonna kill Bill
"Kill Bill" was either a disaster-in-the-making or a one of a kind hit -- a sprawling revenge flick that had to be cut in two and released separately. But director Quentin Tarantino finally gets to show the world his epic salute to homages -- newly fused back together, as it was originally meant to be. Hallelujah.

Tragedy strikes the Bride (Uma Thurman) on her wedding day: The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS) attacks and slaughters the guests, the groom, and wounds the very pregnant Bride herself. Her former boss/lover Bill (David Carradine) finishes the bloodbath by shooting the Bride in the head. But despite his efforts, she isn't dead.

A few years later, the Bride wakes to find that she has been in a coma for a few years, and has been being used as a sex toy for rent. After recovering enough to move, the Bride gets a sword sharp enough to "cut God," and goes on a revenge spree against the people who wrecked her life and killed her baby, including Cottonmouth (Vivica A. Fox) and the deadly O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu).

In part one of "Kill Bill," the Bride continues working her way up the list until she gets to Bill himself, with the intent of getting revenge. But a monkey wrench is thrown into the Bride's revenge plans when she learns the truth about her baby and whether it died, and her conflict with Bill...

Don't expect cinematic posturing. "Kill Bill" is cinematic pop art, a loving tribute to cheesy martial-arts flicks and westerns. It's pure homage, untainted by typical directing methods and immensely entertaining if you switch off your critical faculties, refrain from asking "How the heck could that happen?"

It also isn't for the weak of stomach; over 450 gallons of fake blood are used in both movies. But the blood usage is more "Monty Python" than "Braveheart"; it's so over-the-top that it's gloriously sick rather than disturbing. So is the violence -- hacking dozens of people down without getting so much as a scrape is impossible, but it's sure fun to watch.

But though the first half is a stylized revengefest, it's not all gore, gouged eyes and severed limbs. The second half of the full movie is more character and dialogue-driven, in between gory killings, and explores the pasts of the DIVAS. Additionally, Tarantino throws some brilliant one-liners like "Those of you lucky enough to have your lives take them with you. However, leave the limbs you've lost. They belong to me now."

Uma Thurman, with her yellow tracksuit and katana, rules the screen as the Bride (name revealed in the second half, but she'll ALWAYS be the Bride). She cuts down people by the dozen, but it's impossible not to appreciate her. And the best supporting performances come from Liu as the ruthless O-Ren, the underrated Chiaki Kuriyama as an evil schoolgirl, and most importantly, Carradine as the quiet, ruthless Bill -- a primo performance.

Little is known about the exact details of the "Whole Bloody Affair" presentation, but apparently it's going to include some interesting new reworkings that Tarantino wasn't permitted to do before -- two bonus discs with (presumably) loads of extras, and some additional and/or alternate material that would make it flow more like one movie. No complaints there.

It's weird, it's creepy, it's brilliant, and somehow it's vastly entertaining. Tarantino's special triumph in "Kill Bill -- the Whole Bloody Affair" is to somehow rope his vast store of movie homages into a gory, action-packed storyline, and one that is one big bloody thrill.