DVD Released: August 10th, 2004
Approximate Running Time: 137 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: R
Sound: DTS English, Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Dolby Digital 5.1 French
Subtitles: Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Korean
DVD Release: Miramax
Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC
Retail Price: $29.99

“No. You’re not a bad person. You’re a terrific person. You’re my favorite person, but every once in a while, you can be a real cunt.” – Bill

The first scene of the film is the wedding rehearsal that was shot in beautiful black and white. Those who have seen volume one have already seen part of this scene and know what the outcome is. This time around we get to see the whole wedding rehearsal and when the death squad goes in to kill every at the wedding reception the camera pulls away in a non Tarantino like way implying what has just happened instead of showing it. The Bride this time around must kill Budd and Elle Driver before she can exact her revenge on Bill. One of the films highlights is when we get to see Pai Mei (Gordon Liu), as he teaches The Bride martial arts. Gordon Liu steals the show as Pai Mei as he shows that he still has a trick or two up his sleeve.

After seeing Kill Bill: Volume 1′s non stop adrenaline ride last fall, going into Kill Bill: Volume 2, one the first thing that crossed my mind was? Did Tarantino make the right decision splitting this film into two parts? Would we see more blood and guts like before or would Volume 2 be more character driven like most of Tarantino’s other films. I went into Volume 2 with high hopes as I watched it the week it came out in theatre’s this past April. Upon leaving the theatre I felt good about the conclusion to the Kill Bill saga. Now a few months later as I re-watch Volume 2 for the first time since seeing it on the big screen I have mixed feelings. The fight scenes in Volume 2 pale in comparison to the fight scenes from Volume 1. They are less graphic and in many cases anticlimactic as they don’t have the punch the previous films fight scenes had. Acting wise once again all the cast is really and for my money besides Gordon Liu, Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver was one of the films strongest assets.

The collection of songs for volume two have a Spaghetti Western feel to them and Ennio Morricone’s ‘L Arena’ plays as the Bride is buried and trapped in a coffin is Volume 2′s most moving moment. Tarantino inspiration draws from many sources and just like Volume 1, here in Volume 2he expertly weaves a tale that is engaging and at times evokes melancholy.

So should Kill Bill have been split into two parts? After watching both films I would have to say no, both films are like night and day when comparing the two. Volume 1 moves along at a nice pace, while Volume 2 drags most of the film and there are plenty of scenes and moments that Tarantino should have trimmed. The Section that suffers the more then any other in Volume 2 is Beatrix’s and Bill’s reunion/showdown. Overall the conclusion to the film I found satisfying even if I felt the journey getting there could have been smoothed out.

The DVD:

Kill Bill: Volume 2 presented in its original 2:40:1 aspect and it has been anamorphic enhanced For 16 x 9 Televisions. The colors are vivid and the black levels are solid. The picture is crisp and clear as the Flesh tones look natural through out. Overall this is another great transfer from Miramax.

This DVD comes with three audio options English 5.1 surround, English DTS and French language track. There is no major distortion or hiss and dialog is crystal clear. There are several subtitle options English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish Subtitles. The subtitles are easy to read and follow. Overall Miramax has given this DVD a first class A/V treatment, too bad they didn’t go the extra mile on the extras.

Extras include a featurette “Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Making of Kill Bill Vol. 2 Featuring Quentin Tarantino”, Kill Bill Vol. 2 Premiere Chingon Performance, Deleted scene featuring David Carradine and Michael Jai White and the films original trailer. Just like Miramax’s Kill Bill: Volume 1 DVD, this film is pretty much in need of a proper special edition DVD.

If you saw the first film then you most likely saw the second film and you are a fan of the Kill Bill saga. Knowing that Miramax is planning on releasing more beefed up versions of the Kill Bill films at a later date. Hardcore fans will most likely buy every DVD version that is released. My recommendation is that you should rent Kill Bill Volume 2 and wait for the fully loaded edition that is sure to come out sooner then later.