Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

'Black Mamba' aka 'The Bride' is seeking revenge on the fellow members of her squad - 'The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad' led by Bill. They had ravaged her marriage at the gospel and she just about manages to stay alive. After a coma lasting 4 yrs, she wakes up and goes about her job with a big "Hattori Hanzo" sword and with a lot of style and guts.

She finishes 2 of the members - Vernita Green and O-Ren Ishii in this part. O-Ren Ishii is the leader of the Tokyo underworld and she has a huge entourage of mob-men and bodyguards. The Bride finishes them all singlehandedly.

Hits

• Quentin Tarantino's aesthetic and artistic film-making style that glorifies violence, blood and gore. He shows it in such a stylish way.
• Uma Thurman exudes grace, hostility, elegance and style all at the same time. What a tall, graceful and agile woman
• The BG soundtrack as with all Tarantino movies. So many catchy tunes, some retro style tracks and funky sound effects. RZA is the composer. 
• Lucy Liu and her 17 yr old bodyguard Gogo are menacing. 

Comments

• Glorifying violence, blood and gore. It is a blood fountain literally. 
• The action choreography for the scene in Tokyo where 'The Bride' kills around 100 people is unimaginable, far-fetched yet super stylish and aesthetic. 
• Usage of stylish animation and black/white frames to reduce the bloodbath on screen, is a good idea. 

VERDICT

A simple revenge story told in an aesthetic and stylish manner by Tarantino

Classic Revisited: Pulp Fiction (1994)

Typical Quentin Tarantino stuff. Non-linear narration of the lives of a bunch of people - 2 hit-men (Jules and Vincent) working for their boss (Marsellus Wallace), the boss' wife (Mia), a boxer (Butch) who gets mixed up with Marsellus and 2 bandits (Pumpkin and Honey Bunny) who are out to make a quick buck by robbing a restaurant

Gangster stuff, guns, a lot of swear words, illegal betting, homosexuality, drugs, lot of random dialogs and of course sex ... in Tarantino style packaged in chapters

Hits

• Samuel L. Jackson's authority, anger and aggression sears through his eyes and his dialog delivery particularly Ezekiel 25:17. John Travolta plays the apt foil to him. John is casual and totally the opposite of Samuel. 
• Lot of small appearances for Bruce Willis as Butch, Uma Thurman as Mia, Tim Roth as Pumpkin, Ving Rhames as Wallace, the 2 homosexuals Zed and Maynard, Butch's wife Fabienne etc. etc. Each of them plays his/her part in the respective chapters. 
• The dialogs are cult. They are long, random, sometimes pointless and yet engaging
• The BG soundtrack needless to say, is also very popular. The tile theme and the end credits theme in particular. 

Comment

• The chapters are aligned quite randomly. 

VERDICT

A film that can be pulled off only by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie. 

Sin City (2005)

Whats it about:
This film is a graphical depiction of Frank Miller's comic series of the same name. There are 4 tracks that are shown. But the primary focus is on three episodes
      The film opens and ends with The Salesman stalking and killing 2 separate women.
      In the second track which continues at a later time in the movie too, ageing police officer John Hartigan who is also having a medical condition, is in pursuit of a psycho killer Roark Junior who rapes and murders young girls. Hartigan is on a mission to save Nancy a 11 yr old girl. In the ensuing shoot out, Hartigan shoots Junior's ears, hand and genitals. Hartigan is also shot
      8 yrs later, after serving a jail sentence and recovering in the hospital, Hartigan is again out to nab Junior who has become an ugly looking Yellow Bastard due to many medications to grow his organs back. Nancy writes to Hartigan every week during his jail sentence and Nancy is really grateful to Hartigan for saving her life and is also in love with him. Nancy is now an erotic dancer. Haritgan eliminates Roark junior and also sacrifices his life knowing very well that Junior's father Senator Roark wouldn't spare him.
     In the third track of the film the macho, animal-like Marv is out to nab the killer who eliminated Goldie, his one night sweetheart. He comes to know that a young silent stalker Kevin and the cardinal Patrick Roark are behind all these killings. Marv avenges them brutally for Goldie and her twin sister Wendy's sake. But Marv is captured and is made to confess that he is behind the murders of the girls too and is electrocuted.
    In the fourth track, Dwight is after Jackie Boy, his girl friend Shellie's abusive ex boyfriend, for harassing her. After a terrific chase, he kills Jackie not knowing that Jackie is a cop.  The prostitutes of old town are also involved in this murder of the 'hero cop'. To prevent the mob and the cops from waging a war in Old Town due to this murder, Dwight and the prostitutes lead by Gail and the superhero like Miho, kill all the Irish mercenaries and salvage themselves.
      All the 4 tracks are interconnected.

                                                                            
Hits

• The making style is terrific. Such surreal visuals thanks to the film's unique color processing, which rendered most of the film in black and white but retained or added coloring for select objects. 
• Unique depiction of the violence and all the blood and gore thanks to the unique color processing.
• Some terrific macho stuff from the old warhorses Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Clive Owen, as Marv, Hartigan and Dwight respectively.
• Seriously sexy babes. Such dangerous exposure of skin. Just WOW. Particularly Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson and many many more. 
• A real celebration of revenge. We do get the kick seeing all the glorious retribution being panned out on screen by some really macho characters.

Misses

• The track involving The Salesman (Josh Hartnett) though having a small connection with the rest of the tracks, isn't exciting and thrilling as the other 3 tracks. 

VERDICT

The most stylish way to show normal revenge stories. Surreal visuals make it a real dream like experience even while witnessing so much blood and gore.