Blu-ray Review: Kill Bill, Vol 1 & 2

THE MOVIES:
Vol. 1 2 1/2 stars out of 5; Vol. 2 3 1/2 stars out of 5
I guess you would say that I am not much of a Quentin Tarantino fan and I am not. I can’t say that I enjoy films filled with repeated acts of fairly gruesome violence, despite the presence of some witty dialogue about life in general and the meaning of life and death. While both of these films were shot together and and are sequels, they each have a very different feel. Volume 1 is a bloodfest, with heads and various limbs being cut off one after the other, with blood squirting everywhere. Of course, the violence and effects are rather cartoonish and kind of played for laughs but geez....

The film is also filled with a ton of martial arts scenes, which go hand in hand with the bloodletting. The second film, although it has its violent moments, is more of a dialogue driven film and much more cerebral, delving into the past of the characters and fleshing them out, giving the motivation for much of the violence that takes place in Volume 1.

Volume 2 is filled with much better dialogue and is a much easier film to get into and is one that I actually found myself enjoying. I can’t say the same for Volume 1. The films together tell the tale of Beatrix Kiddo (played by the beautiful Uma Thurman), a paid assassin with a group founded and controlled by Bill, played by David Carradine, who turns on her and tries to have her killed (rather brutally) by himself and the rest of the group. After she awakens after a 4 year coma, she immediately leaves the hospital on her own without the knowledge of the staff and sets out on a path to kill all involved with her attempted murder, with the final intended victim Bill himself. Quite frankly, both of these films need to be viewed together. While I enjoyed the second, I didn’t the first and there is the quandary. Recommended for fans of Quentin Tarantino films and recommended as rentals only for those of you like me, who really aren’t.

THE VIDEO: 4 7/8 stars out of 5
Encoded with AVC and presented in their original aspect ratios of 2:40:1, both of these films look amazing on Blu-Ray. The films are a blending of many different styles with bright and bold colored live action mixed in with white black and white photography and some very colorful anime as well. Each and every scene in both films looks simply fantastic with bright and bold primary and secondary colors and spot on fleshtones. Color accuracy and saturation are excellent as well as are detail and image clarity. Black level is deep and solid rendering a stunningly three dimensional image. Shadow detail is also excellent without a hint of black crush that I could detect. Simply put, there is nothing at all to quibble with about the picture quality on these releases. It is among the best that I have seen on Blu-Ray and of reference quality. Fans of these films will be thrilled with the video quality on these releases. Of that I have no doubt.

THE AUDIO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5
The high res audio tracks on both of these releases is presented in uncompressed PCM at 48 kHz/24 bit and are almost as good as the stunning video quality. Dialogue is very well recorded and well placed in the mix and always easy to follow. The overall sound of the film is smooth, open and transparent with excellent bass response and directionality. Excellent use is made of the surround speakers which are quite active giving the sound mix a nice immersive feel. What particularly stood out for me other than the high fidelity of the sound was the spot on use of the sound effects, which were very well placed in the sound mix. Listen to the opening sequence of the first film for example where a man (Bill) is walking on a wooden floor wearing boots. The footsteps clearly follow the direction of the action on screen. Also effective in the first film is the arrival of the Gang of 88 on their motor vehicles. Listen how the cascade of vehicles slowly fills your room. Very effective and very realistic stuff. These are but two of many examples of high quality audio reproduction found in both films. Each of these films has a very effective sound mix with excellent fidelity and is a real treat to listen to.

IN CONCLUSION
While not exactly my kind of films, Kill BIll Volumes 1 and 2 on Blu-Ray contain reference quality audio and video that will no doubt thrill fans of both films. Yes, they look and sound that good. These releases are highly recommended for fans of the films as I can’t imagine them ever looking or sounding better, at least within the limits of today’s technology. Rated as rentals for the rest of us. Both films are of such high technical quality that they are both worth a look.

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