A bloody good time at the movies

It's been six years since the '90s quintessential auteur Quentin Tarantino unleashed a film upon his legions of fans. \nThe movie was Jackie Brown, and while very good, it underwhelmed many viewers. Gone were the fragmented narratives and excessive body counts that had catapulted the maverick filmmaker to the highest echelons of Hollywood's food chain. Apparently, Tarantino took his audiences' gripes to heart. His retort: the insanely bloody antics of Kill Bill: Vol. 1, a fanboy's wet dream realized.\nBill opens with a "Feature Presentation" logo from the '70s. Sure, the title card draws attention to both itself and the film waiting to unfurl, but it's fitting as it's the first of many self-conscious techniques deployed throughout. Tarantino has the stones to segue from this kitschy bit of nostalgia to what's probably the most disturbing opening shot of any movie ever. He then leapfrogs like a kid in a cinematic candy store between space and time, color and B&W and live action and animation. The fact that he careens between these stylistic flourishes so seamlessly is a miracle in and of itself.\nThe movie's plot isn't nearly as complicated as its execution. Bill opens with the titular character's ordered massacre of a Texas wedding party. All are dead, save for The Bride (Uma Thurman -- here, the embodiment of lithe sexiness/toughness), a former employee looking to leave the hit woman game for the sanctity of marriage. \nSuffice to say, our heroine survives, this after four years in a coma, and understandably, she's looking for vengeance. Her hit list consists of fellow members of the lamely named Deadly Viper Assassination Squad: Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), Budd (Michael Madsen) and most assuredly, Bill (David Carradine). \nRevenge is the film's deus ex machina, and yet, its narrowness works beautifully. The Bride travels from Texas to Japan to California for others to reap the whirlwind. We, the audience, with strong stomachs and a penchant for all-things pop culture, ride shotgun to her entrails-splattered travails. \nWhile Tarantino's ballet of blood often veers toward the cartoonish, the squeamish need not apply.\nKill Bill: Vol. 1 is a hodgepodge of kung fu flicks and Spaghetti westerns that plays like "Charlie's Angels" on methamphetamines. It is, in its essence, very episodic. \nThis is good as the film has been sliced in half, much like many of The Bride's foes. Tarantino's hiatus has served him well. Vol. 2 can't hit soon enough.