Kill Bill Vol.1
Dir: Quentin Tarantino
2003
***
What I really like best about Kill Bill Vol.1 and indeed most of Quentin Tarantino's films is the editing. The non-linear narrative is also something that he excels at, no more so than in the Kill Bill films. Visually, the film is stunning, each episode a contrast to the next. However, it's this contrast that raises other questions. Can Tarantino do anything original? Nearly every aspect of the film is either a 'homage' or borrowed material. Some of it is down-right plagiarism but most of these ideas are either owned by large companies that don't know they own them (typically insurance companies who buy-out small film companies once they go bankrupt). These films are generally old and forgotten, if ever seen at all. Some of the directors/actors are long gone too, so not much risk of being called into the courts. Most owners/film makers decide to take the easier and more profitable path and cash in on QT's success and label it 'The film that inspired QT's...' Did you know that the character Elle Driver is based on a Swedish porn actress with one eye who used to let men, ahem, do things to her empty socket? Seriously, everything about Kill Bill is a copy but to be fair, it's almost always an improvement.