‘Kill Bill (Vol. 2)’ may be the best flick of the year

“Kill Bill (Vol. 2)”Running time: 136 minutesMPAA rating: R

I read an interview with “Kill Bill” director Quentin Tarantino where he said he plans to edit both volumes of “Kill Bill” into the single four-hour epic he originally planned and distribute it on the art-house circuit. When it comes to my town, I’ll be first in line.

What’s great about the “Kill Bill” flicks is that they are movies made for people who love great trashy movies. Tarantino’s passion for the chop-socky martial-arts films of the Shaw Brothers and Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns is infectious. Tarantino seems bent on referencing every movie he’s ever seen, and at times watching “Kill Bill” is like playing the B-movie version of Trivial Pursuit. And that’s just fine and dandy with me.

Where “Vol. 2” differs from last year’s installment is that where “Vol. 1” was mostly a splatterfest of gore and frenetic action — an homage to anime and Asian exploitation flicks — “Vol. 2” is a nod to America and Europe: Howard Hawks, Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Leone. The pace is slower, more deliberate and gives plenty of time to character development. It is also less bloody than the first film, but it is more emotionally gripping and intense.

We learn more about the relationship between The Bride (Uma Thurman) and Bill (David Carradine). The brutal beating The Bride receives at her wedding rehearsal is revisited — from a different and more chilling perspective.

We see The Bride hunt down the remaining members of Bill’s hit squad (Michael Madsen and Darryl Hannah); there is an extended flashback sequence where The Bride receives extensive martial-arts training that will ultimately save her bacon in more than one fight in the movie. We also learn her real name, what happened to her daughter and, of course, we see The Bride finally kill Bill.

In some ways, “Kill Bill (Vol. 2)” is a better movie than the first. This film could stand on its own as a complete film, whereas “Vol. 1” was one long prologue. But I still want to see the whole shebang in one sitting.

In short: If you saw the first movie, you’ll love this one. If you haven’t seen the first film, you can still enjoy this one without having seen the prologue. So far, “Kill Bill (Vol. 2)” is the best movie of the year. GRADE: A.