It might sound strange to say, but I feel like Kill Bills are Tarantino's gimmick (or style) at its worst. It's like he dialed up the violence unbearably and removed most of the amusing, awkward, and absurd dialogue and compelling characters. I enjoy other films by him, but the Kill Bills are lackluster seeming to me.
Strangely, the Kill Bills are the first of his movies I saw. I recall seeing both in theaters even. I enjoyed them alright then, and having an older brother made it fun to run around hitting each other with brooms a lot or whatever else seemed non-killing but good enough for make-believe. It sounds strange to say, but the movies seem perfect for children in that way.
But as an adult, there feels like there is very little to latch onto. Like, don't get me wrong, in most ways, Kill Bills are better technical pieces than say Pulp Fiction...but Pulp Fiction feels like it has a spark, a certain je ne sais quoi that I would argue just isn't in Kill Bill and is what makes watching his movies worth the time.
It's arguably a cleaner film that Inglorious Bastards. But I also cannot think of a really stand out scene...ya know? Like a scene that if I pulled it from the film to show to a friend would make them go "Oh, I get what this guy is all about" or something like that. There are no scenes that I feel like stick with me. Like Inglorious Bastards has the scene in the pub with everyone playing that game and it is just fabulous. Really, truly unforgettable. So many of the scenes in that film are of that level. Kill Bill feels like it has none.
I guess that's ultimately where I land on it: great for kids because it really has cool action and energizes you to hit a sibling with something hard, but not lethal. Otherwise, not particularly memorable or stunning. Perhaps only noteworthy because the genre it is in has been so stagnant for so long.
But besides that Kill Bill was great. I loved both of them.
