Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2 [Blu-ray]

"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.

REGARDING THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR: First off, The Weinstein Company owns the rights to "The Whole Bloody Affair" when it arrives, so you can't fault Disney for releasing the one and only cut of this movie that they own. They do not, have not and will not have the ability to put out "The Whole Bloody Affair".

And if you're waiting for "The Whole Bloody Affair" I hope you have other things to occupy your time. "TWBA" was first mentioned in 2004, and it's since been four long years without literally ANY actual progress on the front of that cut surfacing. The cut is NOT yet finished. I think people are under the impression that foreign cuts of KB are "TWBA" and they are NOT. Quentin has NOT YET CUT "THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR" TOGETHER AT ALL. Every year he makes a promise that he's about to get to it, to no avail. I wouldn't say I'm actually skeptical it will ever come out (I'm sure Quentin wants to do it) but I'm not exactly holding my breath anymore either.

So, in conclusion: Not only is "The Whole Bloody Affair" NOT coming out tomorrow or something, but it's not likely to come out for quite a long time (especially with Quentin starting Inglorious Bastards), and when it does, it won't be through Buena Vista.

Thanks.

EDIT: In 2011, the completed "Whole Bloody Affair" did finally premiere at the New Beverly in Los Angeles for a week during programming selected by Tarantino (who owns a stake in the theater). There is still no release date for a home video version.

I think a lot of reviewers are forgetting the fact that Kill Bill vol 1 and 2 are great movies. $40 for two great movies in high def isn't a bad deal.

Back when this was released on DVD years ago people kept howling not to buy it because you should wait until The Whole Bloody Affair comes out. Well guess what, years later it still hasn't come out on any format. Stop holding your breath for it. Its supposed to be what, 5 hours long?

Also, these are the theatrical versions and i'm fine with that. I own the japanese versions and theres not much difference. Definitely not enough to miss out on owning such a great movie.

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