Quentin Tarantino’s unusual world of a super-assassin is on display in "Kill Bill Vol. 2," released in 2004, which concludes the story started by “Vol. 1” from 2003 and provides explanations for things left unclear earlier. The Bride (Uma Thurmon), once an assassin herself, is after revenge following the deaths of her fiancé and friends at a wedding rehearsal in El Paso. Her targets include dangerous criminals Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle (Daryl Hannah) as she pursues the person responsible, Bill (David Carradine). Gordon Liu portrays Pai Mei, a skilled martial arts instructor, while Michael Parks appears as Esteban Vihaio. This installment relies more on dialogue than "Vol. 1," developing the characters and providing answers to many questions. These include: What makes The Bride such an unstoppable fighter? How did Elle lose sight in one eye? Why did Bill order the wedding massacre? And what does Budd do with his free time? However, the characters are essentially exaggerated stereotypes—ruthless assassins, all of them. It's hard to add real substance to people like that, at least when you’re trying to care about them; I don’t really mind if they kill each other off. The story itself also feels too slight for such a grand presentation and would have worked better as a single movie lasting around two and a half hours, trimming away unnecessary scenes. Despite its flaws, the film is entertaining in a way that's similar to "Mojave Moon" from 1996, though it’s a step above that picture. It mixes elements of spaghetti Westerns, martial arts films from the 70s, Bond movies, and Tarantino’s signature style. Calling these “Kill Bill” movies cinematic masterpieces—examples of a director's unique vision—is probably an exaggeration. Consider, for example, the closing credits, which stretch on for over twelve minutes: they are far too pretentious for a story and characters of this nature. If you’re looking to see truly great films by Tarantino, try “Django Unchained” (2012), “Pulp Fiction” (1994), or even “Inglourious Basterds” (2009) and "Jackie Brown" (1997). Even so, the movie is oddly amusing, and the cast performs well—particularly Carradine. The Bride’s training with Pai Mei stands out as a highlight. The film has a running time of 137 minutes and was filmed in Southern California, Beijing, China, and Mexico. GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)

Source on TMDB