I watched Kill Bill this week, both volumes.

At first, I was kind of let down. This might be a hot take, but I think Vol. 1 is Tarantino’s worst movie. It’s the definition of style over substance: just a never-ending deluge of nonsensical plot points and ridiculous violence, with almost no substance or depth to anything. The soundtrack kicks ass, but that’s the only outstanding part of the entire movie.

Vol. 2 is a lot better though. There’s less blood, less cheese, and more nuance. Tarantino’s strongest aspect, his dialogue writing, is at full force here. Almost every character from the first movie is given much more depth than they seemed to have at first. The soundtrack’s still amazing too.

Over all, I’m glad I watched it, but I still wouldn’t consider it Tarantino’s best. It’s a shame that this movie forever associated Tarantino with “ridiculously bloody hyper-violence” in most people’s minds, when he’s so much more than that.