Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
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A vengeful warrior awakens from a four-year coma to hunt down the assassins who betrayed her.
The story
In 1999, the Bride, a member of the Deadly Viper assassination squad, is attacked by her former comrades led by Bill during a wedding rehearsal. After falling into a coma and waking up four years later, she discovers she is no longer pregnant and is betrayed by those she once knew. Driven by a desire for retribution, she begins a violent journey to track down and eliminate the members of the squad who betrayed her. Her quest takes her across different locations, including a confrontation with a former ally and a journey to obtain a legendary sword before heading to Tokyo to face the yakuza.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1999, the Bride is attacked by the Deadly Viper assassination squad led by Bill. She falls into a coma and awakens four years later, no longer pregnant. She begins a revenge mission, first killing a man who tried to assault her and a hospital worker who exploited her. She then tracks down Vernita Green, a former member of the squad, and kills her after a knife fight. Seeking a legendary sword, she travels to Okinawa to meet the swordsmith Hattori Hanzō. She then travels to Tokyo to confront O-Ren Ishii, the leader of the yakuza. During a battle in a restaurant, the Bride defeats O-Ren's 'Crazy 88' guards and kills O-Ren. She captures O-Ren's associate, Sofie Fatale, and leaves her alive as a threat. The film ends with Bill finding Sofie and asking if the Bride knows her daughter is alive.
- First release year
- 2003
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States; Hong Kong
- Original languages
- English; Japanese
- Directors
- Quentin Tarantino
- Writers
- Quentin Tarantino · writer
- Cast and characters
- Uma Thurman · the Bride; Lucy Liu · O-Ren Ishii
- Genres
- martial arts; action
- Themes
- revenge; violence
- Tone and mood
- stylish; violent
- Setting
- El Paso, Texas; Okinawa; Tokyo
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; revenge; yakuza
- Franchise connections
- Kill Bill
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was noted for its style and homage to martial arts cinema.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · review count: 238; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 43
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Actress · 2004 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The character of the Bride was developed during the production of Pulp Fiction.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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