Kill Bill: Volume 1

"[about O-Ren] O-Ren Ishii was born on an American military base in Tokyo, Japan. The half-Japanese, half-Chinese American army brat made her first acquaintance with death at the age of 9. It was that age she witnessed the death of her parents at the hands of Japans most ruthless Yakuza boss, Boss Matsumoto. She swore revenge. Luckily, for her, Boss Matsumoto was a pedophile. At 11, she got her revenge. By 20, she was one of the top female assassins in the world. At 25, she did her part in the killing of 9 innocent people, including my unborn daughter, in a small wedding chapel in El Paso, Texas. But on that day, four years ago, she made one big mistake. She shouldve killed 10."

"Just because I have no wish to murder you before the eyes of your daughter does not mean parading her around in front of me is going to inspire sympathy. You and I have unfinished business. And not a goddamn fucking thing youve done in the subsequent four years, including getting knocked up, is going to change that."

"Ive done what I swore an oath to God twenty-eight years ago to never do again. Ive created "something that kills people". And in that purpose, I was a success. Ive done this because, philosophically, Im sympathetic to your aim. I can tell you, with no ego, this is my finest sword. If, on your journey, should you encounter God, God will be cut."

"[after she cuts off Boss Tanakas head, in Japanese] So that you understand how serious I am.... Im going to say this in English. [puts her sword down and says to her councilmen in English while Sofie translates] As your leader, I encourage you, from time to time and always in a respectful manner, to question my logic. If youre unconvinced a particular plan of action Ive decided is the wisest, tell me so! But allow me to convince you. And I promise you, right here and now, no subject will ever be taboo ... except, of course, the subject that was just under discussion. The price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative is – I collect your fucking head. [holds up Tanakas head] Just like this fucker here. Now, if any of you sons of bitches got [raises her voice] ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY, NOWS THE FUCKING TIME!!! [pause, in a calm voice] I didnt think so. [drops Tanakas head on the table and says to her councilmen in Japanese] Gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned."

"O-REN ISHII! Shoubu wa mada tsuicha inai yo! [calling out O-Ren in Japanese: "You and I have unfinished business!"]"

"Sofie: [in French] Burn in hell, you stupid, stupid blonde! Ill tell you nothing!"

"Blood doesnt just flow in Quentin Tarantinos "Kill Bill-Vol. 1"—it splatters and spurts and rises in fountains so baroque and luxuriant that there are moments when it seems as if it were raining red. It isnt, but only because theres little in this private fetish of a movie that relates to the natural world. Despite the occasional glimpse of the not-so-great outdoors, the first half of Tarantinos two-part anti-epic isnt about life—its about movie-made death in all its spectacular and foolish excess."

"Theres something sweet about Tarantino—its his old-time religion. In "Vol. 1" he uses snatches of music from one type of movie—say, a snippet from one of Ennio Morricones scores for a Sergio Leone western—and lays it over a bit of Japanese-flavored mayhem. Sampling movies like a D.J., Tarantino uses other artists beats and images to scratch out his own tune. This sort of playful mix-master technique has its seductions, but there are dangers to getting hooked on other peoples genius. The penultimate battle royale in a Japanese nightclub has moments of great graphic beauty amid the spurting severed limbs, yet the scenes most stunning tableau—a silhouette of the Bride squaring off against some heavies—is borrowed from Seijun Suzuki, an eccentric master of the yakuza film. This kind of mad movie love explains Tarantinos approach and ambitions, and it also points to his limitations as a filmmaker. His multiple references are inescapably entertaining—its like watching a movie programmer strut his cool stuff—but there can be something distracting about them as well."

"Compared to Q.T.s slice em, dice em deli, the much-hyped Neo versus 100 Agent Smiths showdown appears unforgivably gutless and soulless. Moral guardians may be outraged but, after a build that most audiences will find slow, it is the bloody geysers Tarantino uncorks here that will have them joining the queue for the very next showing."

"To see O-Rens God-slicer and Go-Gos mace clashing in a field of dead and dying men is to understand how women have taken over for men in action movies. Strange, since women are not nearly as good at killing as men are. Maybe theyre cast because the liberal media wants to see them succeed. The movies women warriors reminds me of Ruby Richs defense of Russ Meyer as a feminist filmmaker (his women initiate all the sex and do all the killing)."

"I actually didnt think she was tough. I didnt, I thought she was a really cool character to play because she was a survivor, you know what I mean? She had so many reasons why she had become what she was. She had to continue fighting all her life to basically stay alive, from the moment that her parents were killed. He (Tarantino) pretty much lays it out for you... O-Ren Ishii wasnt the type of person who was ever gonna die peacefully in her bed, you know what I mean? She was going to die fighting and that was how it was gonna be. She died the best way that she could have ever imagined, with the Hattori Hanzo sword. So ultimately, it was a very respectful death, and I think her character is more of a survivor than someone whos tough, you know?"

"Vernita Green: Black Mamba. I should have been motherfucking Black Mamba."