🎬 Rewind This Month In Movies: Kill Bill: Vol. 1

🎬 Rewind This Month In Movies: Kill Bill: Vol. 1


🗓️ Date of Release: 10 October 2003

This month 22 year ago Quentin Tarantino gave us his 4th Movie Kill Bill Vol 1 

Here comes the Bride.
A genre-smashing revenge saga that redefined action cinema with blood, beauty, and unapologetic style.

🔍 Quick Facts
Currently Streaming On: Stan
Genre: Action / Martial Arts / Thriller
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, David Carradine
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Producers: Lawrence Bender
Production Companies: A Band Apart, Production I.G
Distributor: Miramax Films

💰 Box Office Performance
Budget: ~$30 million
Worldwide Box Office: ~$181 million
Australia Box Office: ~$2.25 million
Box Office Rank That Year: #54 (2003)
Adjusted for Inflation: ~$305 million (2025 USD)

Uma Thurman & Quentin Tarantino Signed Kill Bil Kill Bill
🎬 Fun Fact:The Bride’s yellow tracksuit was a direct tribute to Bruce Lee’s Game of Death.

⭐ Critical Reception
Average Rating (Year of Release): IMDb 8.2 / 10, Rotten Tomatoes 85%

Reviews at the Time

“A blood-soaked, adrenaline-fuelled ode to cinema itself - wild, witty, and visually jaw-dropping.” - The Hollywood Reporter (Positive)
“A glossy exercise in cinematic fetishism that forgets to make us care about its characters.” - The New York Times (Negative)
“I wanted to make a revenge movie that was beautiful - a ballet of violence.” - Quentin Tarantino

📝 Synopsis
Left for dead on her wedding day, the Bride awakens from a four-year coma to  embark on a globe-spanning rampage of vengeance that culminates in a duel under falling snow.

“Those who have wronged me will suffer. Bill will die.” — The Bride

🎭 Performances

  • Uma Thurman – Transcendent and fierce, she turned “The Bride” into a feminist icon. Some critics, however, felt the emotional core was buried beneath stylisation.

  • Lucy Liu – Elegant and terrifying as O-Ren Ishii, earning praise for her balance of grace and menace.

  • Daryl Hannah – Scene-stealing villainy as Elle Driver, her eyepatch and whistle forever etched into pop culture.

  • David Carradine – A haunting, almost mythic presence, though his minimal screen time in Volume 1 left some wanting more.

❤️ What Audiences Loved
Fans adored the operatic violence, the genre fusion, the anime flashback, and Tarantino’s bold direction. The Bride’s resilience became a symbol of empowerment and cinematic cool.

😒 What Divided
Some critics saw the violence as excessive and emotionally hollow, calling it “more style than substance.” Others disliked the cliff-hanger ending and the two-part release.

🎬 Fun Fact: The House of Blue Leaves fight took eight weeks to film — with 450 gallons of fake blood used.

🏆 Awards and Nominations

  • BAFTA Nomination – Best Actress (Uma Thurman)

  • Saturn Awards – Best Action Film Nominee

“Revenge is never a straight line.” — Hattori Hanzō

🕰️ Legacy Score
Then vs. Now: Two decades on, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 stands as a cult classic and a blueprint for female-led action cinema. Its visual language, soundtrack, and homage-driven style inspired everything from video games to music videos.

“Every generation deserves its own Bride.” — Uma Thurman, 2023
“If I ever did Vol. 3, it would be about revenge against the Bride.” — Quentin Tarantino

🗣️ Memorable Quotes

  • “You and I have unfinished business.”

  • “Those of you lucky enough to still have your lives, take them with you!”

  • “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

  • “It’s mercy, compassion, and forgiveness I lack.”

  • “Silly rabbit. Tricks are for kids.”

Quentin Tarantino Signed "Reservoir Dogs" Reservoir Dogs

🎥 Behind the Scenes
Fun Facts 

  • Tarantino screened hundreds of martial-arts films to his crew for stylistic inspiration.

  • The anime sequence was produced by Production I.G in Tokyo (Ghost in the Shell and The Animatrix)

  • Uma Thurman and Tarantino co-created “The Bride” during Pulp Fiction filming.

  • The swordsmith Hattori Hanzō is played by real martial-arts legend Sonny Chiba.

  • Thurman’s pregnancy delayed filming for a year — which Tarantino insisted on waiting out.

  • Thurman trained eight hours a day in sword fighting and kung fu.

  • Lucy Liu personally choreographed parts of her duel.

  • Daryl Hannah’s eyepatch became a best-selling Halloween costume.

  • David Carradine’s flute solos were real; he composed them himself.

  • Tarantino appears off-screen as a Crazy 88 during filming.

🧠 Pop Culture Impact

  • The Bride’s yellow tracksuit became one of cinema’s most recognisable costumes.

  • The soundtrack (from Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” to the 5.6.7.8’s “Woo Hoo”) remains iconic.

  • Inspired waves of women-led action stories and stylised violence in pop culture.

👥 Where Are They Now?

  • Uma Thurman – Continues to balance film and TV work (Suspicion, Super Pump Rule), and has hinted she’d return as The Bride “if the story was right.”

  • Lucy Liu – Shifted into directing and major TV roles (Elementary, Shazam: Fury of the Gods).

  • Daryl Hannah – Now an environmental activist and starred in Sense8.

  • David Carradine – Remembered as a martial-arts legend until his death in 2009.

  • Quentin Tarantino – Hints that he will make one more move (The Movie Critic) then he will retire. 

🎟️ Join the Conversation
💬 What’s your favourite moment from Kill Bill: Vol. 1?
👀 Check out our Autograph for signed memorabilia.
🗓️ Stay tuned for more Rewind Movies.

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