Jon22: The Website of Jonathan Dobres

Run, don’t walk, to Kill Bill Volume 2. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Volumes 1 and 2 were originally meant to be released as a single film, yet despite the presence of such three hour blockbusters as Lord of the Rings, Miramax decided to release Kill Bill in two 90 minute installments. It works perfectly that way. Volume 1 is an epic bloodbath with positively Monty Python-esque amounts of severed limbs, whereas Volume 2’s fights are more psychological, and there’s a far greater emphasis on character development. Volume 1 is a Hong Kong slasher, Volume 2 is a Western love story.

Such is the beauty of slicing Kill Bill in half. Both films are truly excellent, but they feel quite different from each other. There will definitely be “Volume 1 people” and “Volume 2 people.” I’m in the latter category, favoring Uma Thurman’s intense bitch fight with Daryl Hannah over her massacre of the Crazy 88s. Volume 1 is great, but Volume 2 is also great and makes me want to buy Volume 1.