"Kill Bill" is Quentin Tarantino's fourth film, compared to "Dropping Dog" and "Pulp Fiction" ten years ago, "Kill Bill" It is an audio-visual feast of mashups. We can strongly feel the influence of Hong Kong martial arts films in the 1960s and 1970s in the film. At the same time, early Japanese samurai films have become symbols throughout the film, and animation has also become the director's brilliant interlude. The cultures of different dimensions in different countries blend with each other in the same film but do not appear abrupt or out of place. Quentin Tarantino, who has always been a slanted sword, has no negative name as a "ghost".
The first and second part of "Kill Bill" was released in just six months. In fact, these two films are a complete film produced at the same time. Due to the length of the film as long as 4 hours, the director was tempted to split into two films very quickly. Therefore, this film review will treat "Kill Bill 1,2" as a whole.
Rather than saying that "Kill Bill" is a love movie, I prefer the theme of this film to be about "revenge." The beginning of the film wrote: "Revenge is a dish best served cold." This sentence comes from "Star Trek 2: The Roar of the Khan". It means: Revenge should not be in the time of anger, but should be after calming down.
Although the story told by the film inherits Quentin's consistent narrative style, full of flashbacks and interspersed narratives, it is not difficult to organize. Bill is the boss of the deadly snake assassination organization. Beatrix Kiddo is a member of the organization and Bill's lover. In one mission, Beatrix found out that she was pregnant with Bill's child, and after weighing her repeatedly, she decided to give the child an innocent background. So Beatrix gave up the mission and got married with Tommy Plimpton in El Paso, Texas. After Bill learned of Beatrix's fall, he massacred everyone in the church on the day of the wedding rehearsal out of intense jealousy. Beatrix was shot in the head but luckily survived. She regained consciousness four years later and vowed to pay the blood of the people who participated in the massacre that day.
The film is divided into 10 volumes, almost every volume is a story about revenge:
Vol1. ②-Beatrix revenges Vernita Green
Vol2. The Bride-Beatrix revenges Buck
Vol3. The Origin of O-Ren-Ishii O-Ren revenges Matsumoto who killed her parents
Vol4. The Man Form Okinawa-Hattori Hanzo casts a knife for Beatrix to avenge Bill
Vol5. Showdown at House of Blue Leaves-Beatrix revenges
Ishii Oren and Sofie Fatale Vol6. Massacre at Two Pines-Bill revenges Beatrix; Budd and Bill quarrel and leave and leave.
Lie to sell the knife that Bill gave him to hurt Bill Vol7. The Lonely Grave of Paula Schultz-Budd buried Beatrix alive as his brother Bill
Vol8. The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei-No
Vol9. Elle and I-Elle Revenge on
Baimei ; Beatrix Revenge on Elle Driver Vol10. Face to Face——Beatrix Revenge on Bill The revenge
described in this film has two characteristics: one is madness and the other is paranoia.
Quentin is a well-deserved fan of Zhang Che, and his use of violent aesthetics and plasma is better than his predecessors. The film involves six assassinations and two massacres (Shuangsong Church and Blue Leaf House), the latter being particularly tragic. The extremely exaggerated amount of bleeding and the way the blood is sprayed and splashed for a long time are very shocking, and even the color of the plasma is specially selected to be bright red that is different from the real plasma. This is a kind of venting madness. As Bill later asked: "It feels good for you to kill those people before you find me? Every one is cool, right?" Beatrix: "Yes."
When it comes to paranoia, you have to mention Hattori Hanzo for Beatrix. A knife. In an era where guns are flooded all over the world, it seems an incomprehensible act to fight with a knife or even a group of enemies. In this film, whether it is Beatrix who went to Okinawa to ask for a knife, or Ishii Oren and her gang , Or later in the duel between Beatrix and Elle and Bill, they all chose to use a knife to resolve their hatred, and Bill and Beatrix even gave up the advantage of holding a gun when they had a gun. I have to say that this is deliberate. This deliberate reminds me of the story of Song Xianggong's battle of Hongshui. Such negative teaching materials, which have always been marked as stupid by the contingent people, can also be regarded as stubbornness to tradition, just as the film pays tribute to the spirit of Japanese warriors and the morality of Chinese martial arts. Regardless of the outcome, the frankness and courage of a head-on confrontation are highly valued by both cultures. "There is one thing we can't do, which is to sneak in in the middle of the night like a rat and kill her in her sleep. The reason we can't do this is because it's too nasty!"
At the same time, we should note that Beatrix has an unusual obsession with the sword given by Hattori Hanzo in the process of revenge. The knife in the Blue Leaf House massacre was knocked down by GOGO, and Beatrix picked it up again after GOGO's death. Budd sold this knife to Elle, Beatrix gave up Budd's knife after killing Elle, and still took his knife on the road. Even on the plane, we can still see the knife standing beside Beatrix, and there is a bloody red cloud outside the porthole at this time. In the last volume of the film and Bill face to face, Beatrix is holding the gun, still carrying the knife behind his back. Almost not leaving the body is the characteristic of Beatrix, and the reason for this has been explained as early as when Hattori Hanzo handed the katana to Beatrix. He said: "I made something that can kill people... I did it because I sympathized with your experience deep down in my heart... This is the best knife I have ever made, in case your road to revenge meets God will also be split in half.” The meaning of this knife should be very clear at this point. It represents hatred. In Hattori Hanzo's eyes, the "things that can kill" he forged were not just swords, but hatred itself. Therefore, it is extremely sharp. When encountering gods and killing gods, encountering Buddhas and killing Buddhas, because hatred "the only purpose is to destroy the enemy...it suppresses the humanity and sympathy in all emotions...this is the truth in the art of fighting."
By analogy, it is not difficult to find that the Hattori Hanzo's scabbard in Bill's hand has a Prajna portrait painted on it. The prajna here obviously has nothing to do with Buddhism, but comes from a kind of ghost in Japanese legend, which represents jealousy. The close-up of this knife appeared twice in the film: once when Bill ordered Elle to terminate the mission, and the other when talking face-to-face with Beatrix. Every close-up, the Prajna image is clearly visible. And the root cause of Bill's Shuangsong Church tragedy that eventually led to this series of killings is that he deeply hates Beatrix leaving without saying goodbye and is pregnant, and is about to enter the auditorium with a man who is inferior to him.
The third Hattori Hanzo knife in the film is a knife that Bill gave to his brother Budd.
After Ishii Oren was killed, Bill went to Budd to remind him to be careful of Beatrix. Budd appeared to be indifferent. When Bill asked about the knife he gave away, Budd smiled and said that he pawned the knife. As the priceless treasure of Hattori Hanzo's knife, Budd said, "It's not a treasure in El Paso, I made it 250 yuan." This is in favor of Bill's affection. Budd also told Bill that he was a bodyguard in a striptease bar. He even told Bill that Beatrix only needs to go to the bar to find him, and they can fight with each other. This is despising yourself. Budd left because of a disagreement with Bill and lived in a box house on the outskirts of El Paso. El Paso is located at the westernmost tip of Texas, across the river from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The Ciudad Juarez has almost become synonymous with drugs and violence. It is not difficult to imagine the harsh geographical and cultural environment of El Paso. It is necessary to compare Bill's living environment in the last volume, the four-season villa in Salina, Mexico, the double-storey mansion, the private beach and the hotel-style management. Even Elle can throw a million dollars in front of Budd. Is it true that Budd’s income is so unbearable, his skills have been severely degraded, and Bill is so stingy, and he is so stingy with his own brother, so he has to be the boss of a small porn bar, and step on the overflow for the strippers. The bodyguard who poops through the toilet? The answer is obviously no. Budd is hurting Bill in self-exile, hurting the people who love him. The prerequisite for being able to make others miserable at the cost of hurting yourself is that that person is loving you. When Beatrix was fighting with Elle, the famous knife that was falsely sold for $250 was found in the broken cabinet. She pulled out the blade, and it was clearly engraved on it: Dedicated to my brother Budd, the only person I love—Bill. This knife represents love.
Beatrix has always carried a knife that symbolizes hatred, but in the box house in El Paso she raised the knife that symbolizes love, and the hatred is in Elle's hands. Beatrix had suffered a lot while learning with Baimei, but her stubbornness and stubbornness finally made her recognized by Baimei, and she was deeply imprinted by her. It is not difficult to find that Beatrix has used the trick of poking people's eyeballs twice (once in the Blue Leaf House and another time against Elle). This trick was originally used by the white eyebrows on Elle. Beatrix escaped from the coffin and used the inch Jin taught by Baimei. Bill once told Beatrix that the five thunders with white eyebrows piercing the palm of his heart have always been his secret. And this trick is finally passed to Beatrix. This shows that Beatrix and Baimei have a deep sense of mentorship. And this is why Beatrix was so angry after learning that Bai Mei was killed by Elle. Across the narrow aisle, they confronted each other with knives. This is a duel of love and hate.
Hate, jealousy, love. What Hattori Hanzo's three swords have in common is that they are all murder weapons. Quentin uses a knife to visualize these three emotions in this film, and at the same time gives them a sharp edge. Let's review the relationship between the three pairs of characters who fell in love and killed each other in the film:
1. The feelings and hurts between Bill and Budd have been mentioned above, so I won't repeat them here.
2. White eyebrows and Beatrix. According to Bill, the weird old way of Baimei should have lived for more than a thousand years. He is a worldly expert who once used five thunders to pierce the palm of his heart to wash the Shaolin Temple. Bill, Beatrix and other top professional killers are just children who played home in front of Baimei. Beatrix once asked Bill curiously: "Why would he promise to accept me?"
Bill: "Because he is very old and very old, just like other undead bastards, the older he gets, the more lonely he gets. Age can't change his temper. But it also taught him that having a companion is important."
Beatrix is the companion, although they have been mismatched since they first met. Beatrix seemed to have confidence in his own skill, but was very uncomfortable with the arrogance of Baimei. Bai Mei is obviously dissatisfied with Beatrix's poor Chinese. He does not speak Cantonese, but is fluent in Japanese. Bill has said that Baimei believes that "it is difficult to raise women and villains." Bill also said that Bai Mei despised Americans. When Beatrix tried to attack Baimei with a brick after defeat, their conflicts once soared to the peak. Bai Mei patted his chopsticks at the dinner table and cursed at Beatrix: "If you eat like a dog, I will let you live outside like a dog!" However, when Beatrix didn't see it, Bai Mei would wave his hand and stroke his beard, showing satisfaction. With her smile, Beatrix did not show the resentful expression that was the first time she saw Baimei. In the end, Bai Mei taught his martial arts and the unspoken secret five thunders through the palm to Beatrix. The film does not describe the process, but the audience can already understand it.
3. Bill and Beatrix. Bill and Beatrix are working partners and lovers. From the end of the story, the feelings between them are obviously sincere. However, this has nothing to do with trust. Beatrix discovered that the reaction after pregnancy was not to tell Bill, otherwise her daughter would not be able to get an innocent birth. Bill didn't talk to Beatrix deeply after discovering that Beatrix Pipa hadn't hugged him, but chose to massacre the Shuangsong Church to vent his anger. Even if the two sides can finally sit down and talk in Four Seasons Villa, they still need the guarantee of the confession agent "The Undisputed Truth" to trust each other. This distrust from both sides caused Beatrix to be physically and mentally hit in Shuangsong Church, and it also caused Bill's mental torture afterwards. Bill said to BB: "I know what will happen if I shoot her, but I don't know what will happen to me after I hit Mommy." BB: "What happened?" Bill: "I'm very sad."
This kind of relationship that loves and hurts each other is as strong as fate and there is no escape. After Bill and Beatrix had a candid conversation in the film, Beatrix understood that Bill had always loved her, and her entangled bereavement was relieved after seeing BB. At this time, Beatrix seemed to have lost the reason for revenge, but she still couldn't calm the anger in her heart, and still chose to avenge Bill. This will return to the sentence at the beginning of the film "Revenge is a dish best served cold". Beatrix woke up four years after the tragedy in Shuangsong Church. For her, the tragic past was like yesterday, she was crying in the hospital bed. The intense hatred turned her stubbornness into paranoia, losing her humanity and sympathy. As Hattori Hanzo said: "Vengeance is not a straight road, but a forest. It's like getting lost in the forest. If you lose your way, you forget your way." It wasn't until she came all the way to kill Bill that she suddenly found them. Just like the story of BB and Goldfish, "Some things cannot be changed after you have done it." The
famous Japanese animation director Hideaki Anno once created the AT force field (Absolute Terror Field) in "EVA". Concept, and at the end of the TV version, through the words of Kaoru Nagisa, the AT position is the barrier of the heart. People want to get comfort from others because of their loneliness. However, they will also remain instinctively vigilant and aggressive against intrusions from the outside world. Getting along with people will hurt each other more as the distance shortens, just like a porcupine. Similarly, although I want to pass on my own warmth to each other, the closer the body is to the thorns, the more hurt each other will be. This is the psychological Hedgehog's dilemma (Hedgehog's dilemma).
"Kill Bill" seems to be built on this dilemma. After killing Bill, Beatrix's sorrow and uncontrollable crying in the bathroom the next morning reminded me of the scene where Shinji strangled Asuka's neck forcibly at the end of "EVA" and then cried in pain. Just like instinct, uncontrollable love and hatred, hurt and pain are entangled repeatedly, and they are born and carried through.
Quentin Tarantino used hatred as the starting point, tore open the wound in the name of love, and sprinkled a handful of salt fiercely. However, he did not stop there. At the end of the film, Bill talked to Beatrix about Superman's thoughts. He said: The difference between Superman is that he is a born hero but disguised as a mortal. He wears glasses and a suit just to integrate into the mortal society. Clark Kent is our incarnation in the eyes of Superman. He is weak and lacks self-confidence. He is a coward. This is Superman's criticism of all mankind. This is about the least marginal line in the film, and it seems difficult for us to connect it with the main plot. This line seems to exist only to make the two minutes of Undisputed Truth work less embarrassing. In fact, this passage really touches the root of the problem.
The image of Superman is just like Bill and Beatrix in this film. They are not normal people in the ordinary sense, and possess abilities that ordinary people do not possess, so they cannot integrate into ordinary people's social life. However, after Beatrix became pregnant, things changed. Her love for children made her fear the blow of the invisible profession as a killer. Beatrix tried to disguise herself as an ordinary person like Clark, working in the video spot, going to the movies with Tommy, and giving herself a normal marriage. In the first 8 volumes of the movie, every time someone mentions Beatrix's name, it is always replaced by a beep. The police have no way of knowing the true identity of the blood-covered bride in the Shuangsong Church, so they can only call her "The Bride". It wasn't until Volume 9 that the audience learned the full name of the heroine-Beatrix Kiddo from Elle. This is also a hint of avoidance, until avoidance is inevitable. Then we saw the clip of the elementary school teacher's roll call, and the difference between Kiddo dressed as a little girl and other children was clear at a glance. Kiddo itself means a child, but Beatrix is obviously not, it's just a disguise of her self-righteousness. Beatrix's panic and avoidance ignited Bill's burst of emotions. He didn't even understand the reason Beatrix left him, and he vented his hatred on all those involved in the wedding in a cruel way. As he himself said, at the time, he did not realize the trauma to himself by doing so. In this relationship, he was "weak, lacking self-confidence, and he was a coward."
There is another interesting plot in the film. When Bill asked Beatrix why he didn’t tell him about the fact that she had pierced the palm of her eyebrows, Beatrix replied: "Perhaps because I am a bad person." In fact, it was not because Beatrix was subconsciously afraid of Bill's jealousy of her relationship with her. Choose to conceal it? People always look forward to using avoidance to escape the cruelty and helplessness of reality, but it is precisely because of human weakness and lack of self-confidence that envy, hatred, and love are indulged. Ridley Scott used Malkina to express his views on this in "Black Gold Murder": The weakness of the human heart forces us to despair. You may not agree, but cowards are the cruelest thing, and the next massacre may exceed our imagination. The film "Kill Bill" is the perfect interpretation of this sentence. Just as "Sura no Flower" sings:
Reasons or emotions, tears or dreams,
yesterday or tomorrow, they are all undeserved words
in the turbulence of resentment, and the heart has long been discarded...
END
View more about Kill Bill: Vol. 2 reviews