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The highlight for me, though, is a sequence showcasing Hong Kong legend Gordon Liu as The Bride's master, the tough-as-nails, compulsive beard-stroking Pai Mei. Liu approaches the role with the same mischievous glee that made him a star in RETURN TO THE 36th CHAMBER. And film fanatic Tarantino gives Liu's scenes the full treatment, complete with the same grainy film stock you'd expect to see from a 70's Shaw Brothers print. 

Unfortunately, the last third of BILL 2 is just too chatty for my taste. Maybe Tarantino was again trying to poke fun at spaghetti western clichés with some attempts at cheesy one-liners, but the message and the cheese didn't to sit too well with me. If he was going for sentimentality or a big dramatic climax, I just didn't feel it. 

All the dialogue, though, is surprisingly made much more palatable by David Carradine's performance. He has a LOT of lines near the end of this movie, and his gravelly, deliberate delivery saves the end from being a total bore. 

While we're talking about actors, Michael Madsen is engaging as Bill's pathetic, sniffing, squinty, blinky estranged brother. And Daryl Hannah is deadly funny as the one-eyed Viper Assassin Elle. Unfortunately, Thurman is not too convincing or charismatic as our heroine. Without the assistance of the first film's Crazy 88's or anime segments, she's much too slouchy and gangly to carry this film herself. But I will say she cries well for the camera.

Though not nearly as fun or stylish as BILL1, KILL BILL VOL2 is still worth a look and gets a 4.0 on the Watson scale.

 

Click to see reviews of KILL BILL, VOLUME ONE by Teri Tom and Jeremy Silman.

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