KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR

 

It's hard to fathom that Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL Volumes One and Two were originally released over twenty years ago. Since then there's been all sorts of rumors about sequels, prequels, and unused footage. Now we get KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR, a special theatrical combined version of Volumes One and Two. 

This combined version runs a mammoth four hours and 35 minutes (thankfully there is an intermission). Tarantino and Lionsgate didn't just run the original films back to back--the story is edited into one long feature. 

There are a few changes to the original cuts. One major difference is that the massive swordfight sequence in the House of Blue Leaves is completely in color--in the original version it was mostly in black & white so Volume One could get an R rating. THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR is unrated--and I believe I noticed a few other added shots that featured extra gore and violence. The anime sequence detailing O-Ren's rise in the criminal world has been lengthened, and the scene at the beginning of Volume Two where Uma Thurman talks directly to the audience giving an account of her activities has been edited out--but for the most part the combined KILL BILL is basically the same as the original two films. 

The main question is whether combining the two KILL BILL films was worth it. The two films deal with one overall story line, but they are very different in tone. Volume One is a wild, over-the-top action flick where the viewer doesn't really know what is going on--Bill's face isn't even shown. Volume Two is darker, more introspective, more character driven, as Tarantino fills in the blanks, so to speak. The intermission comes right between the end of Volume One and the start of Volume Two, so the films are still separate, in a way. 

If you're one of the few people that actually read this blog, you'll know that I'm constantly complaining about how long 21st Century movies are. Sitting in a theater for nearly five hours is not something I'm inclined to do. (Did I sneak in multiple bags of food? You're damn right I did.) Having an intermission certainly helped, but I have to say that I wasn't bored or restless. I'm a fan of the KILL BILL movies to begin with, and Tarantino certainly put on a show with them. While watching THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR, it didn't feel to me that I was sitting around for an inordinate length of time. 

Having said that, I believe that KILL BILL works better when the story is split up into two features. Seeing them separately gives one a better appreciation for Tarantino's talents as a writer and director, Robert Richardson's brilliant cinematography, and Uma Thurman's performance (which in my mind doesn't get enough credit, considering all the things she and her character went through). 

THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR is worth seeing in a theater, if you've got five hours to spare, and if you're a fan of the original films to begin with. It's better than anything new showing right now, that's for sure. If you have never seen any of the KILL BILL features at all, I would recommend that you watch the original versions first.