• Kill Bill (Volume One)
• King of Masks, The
• Kung Fu Cult Master

Kill Bill (Volume One)

The legendary Shaw Brothers logo lights up the screen, informing us that the following movie is presented in "ShawScope", as familiar piercing music plays. Wait a second, isn't this supposed to be a Quentin Tarantino movie? Yes, indeed it is, and one of the most thoroughly fun films Tarantino has made.

The spirit of the classic Shaw movies of the sixties is infused with by now traditional Tarantino narrative tricks such as the fractured time narrative, snappy sarcastic dialogue, and the use of music that seems to be the complete opposite of the visuals on screen but which actually combines to form exactly the mood Tarantino is going for. There's also the incredibly high body count, of course, but that's a trademark of both kinds of films.

Uma Thurman stars as "The Bride", a former member of an elite assassination squad working for the sinister Bill. She was pregnant with Bill's child when Bill had the other members of the squad gun down her entire wedding party right at the altar... but they weren't efficient enough, and The Bride lived, though comatose. Now, some time later, she's out of the coma and out for revenge. Uma Thurman as a vengeful hit woman? Pretty outrageous casting, isn't it? Well, actually, no it isn't. Amazing but true, there's not a single member of this formidable cast who isn't one hundred percent believable in their roles... from Thurman to the other members of the squad (including Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen, plus David Carradine as Bill), and most especially the fabulous Sonny Chiba (Tarantino must have jumped for joy to finally be able to use him in one of his films) as a famous swordmaker who supplies Thurman, reluctantly, with the weapons she needs.

The stellar cast is aided by a witty script, downright ingenious cinematography (scene after scene has its intended mood enhanced by the specific and often very inventive manner in which it's shot), and the obvious joy Tarantino has taken in making this film... even though you see many of his famous trademark tricks in use, it's remarkable how fresh and new they still seem, and that has to be due at least in part to the clear excitement and enthusiasm that Q.T. still has for them (as well as for the genre of film he's both paying tribute to and sending up here). As you would expect from this film maker, you're in for a very graphically bloody film in which more people are killed than Shakespeare probably killed off in all of his tragedies put together. But you probably already knew to expect that. Does the film justify its three hour length and two part release? Well, not one minute of Volume One feels padded, and there certainly SEEMS to be enough story yet to tell that it could easily fill another film of the same length.

To sum it all up, while Kill Bill (Volume One) probably won't win any converts among people who didn't already like Tarantino's work, fans will likely find it a sheer delight. It's unlikely you'll ever walk out of such a bloody film with such a big smile on your face.

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The King of Masks

Old Master Wang has earned the title King Of Masks with his almost magical street performances, though lacking an heir to pass his art to, he "buys" a grandchild he thinks is a boy. But what will he do, in this time when female children are considered worthless, when he learns the truth... that his "grandchild" is really an eight-year-old girl? The King Of Masks lacks sorcery, wizards and the like, but is nevertheless one of the most magical films you will ever see. The movie is almost a Chinese equivalent of Dickens' at times, with its sympathetic portrayal of the lonely and down-and-out, and only viewers with the hardest of hearts of stone will be able to remain unmoved by the suffering of Wang and "Doggie", the name he gives his new grandchild. There are also fascinating looks inside the world of Szechwan Opera, which is a unique artistic creature all its own, different from the Cantonese and Beijing Opera more commonly shown in film, as Wang befriends Opera performer Master Liang, a bit of an outcast himself in spite of his stardom due to his being gay. The time and place are evoked with an astonishing vividness, and you may just forget you're in the twenty-first century for two hours or so. And if you appreciate films that leave you with a genuine warm glow without jerking tears in a phony, dishonest way, you will prize this movie. This film contains a few stray curse words here and there... perhaps five or six in the whole film... but other than that, it would make a fine film for children as well as adults.

Starring Jue Yuk and Chow Yam Ying, directed by Ng Tin Ming.

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Kung Fu Cult Master

After watching both of his parents killed, young Mo-Kei memorizes the faces of the crowd of killers surrounding him to prepare himself for revenge in later years... and is then whisked off to a nearby temple where he is raised by the monks in safety. As an adult, he's finally ready for that revenge... but a common enemy might force him to ally himself with some of his parents' murderers, who are now the heads of six of the deadliest kung fu schools in China. Director and writer Wong Jing is a capable film-maker who's far too prolific for his own good, often resulting in inchoherent movies, but this time he did it right. The plot of Kung Fu Cult Master is as complex as ever, but there at least IS a genuine plot... and a more action-packed and genuinely fun-filled one you donÕt often find. Jet Li is at his best as the grown-up Mo-Kei, packing some real emotion in between all the fights (this is a man who, because of a kind of spell cast on him as a kid, has been unable to use his kung fu to defend himself against his tormenters and has had to bury all his resentment and frustration for over fifteen years... you DON'T want to be in his way when he finally gets to use his kung fu again and lets all of that out). The movie is filled with some of the most amazing, mind boggling characters you'll ever see, including the delightfully nasty "Nun Of No Mercy", who makes Jodie Foster's character in Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys look like Sally Fields' Flying Nun (oh yeah, she does some of that too) and Sammo Hung in two roles... the master of the monks who raise Mo-Kei and an elderly kung fu master who's been tied to a rolling boulder for years, but still manages to teach Mo-Kei the secret of regaining his kung fu (you won't want to miss the scene where the boulder rolls after Mo-Kei, who deals with it in a way Indiana Jones never could). All this and great kung fu and swordfighting. What more could you ask? Well, how about an ending that will give you plenty to talk about? Kung Fu Cult Master has all of that and more, with something to compel your attention in every scene. You'll almost feel physically worn out, but you'll love it.

Starring Jet Li, Chingmy Yau, Sammo Hung and Richard Ng. Directed by Wong Jing. (1993)

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