View source for Kill Bill: Volume 1

{{short description|2003 American film by Quentin Tarantino}}
{{redirect|Kill Bill||Kill Bill (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Kill Bill: Volume 1
| image          = Kill Bill Volume 1.png
| alt            = A woman wearing a yellow and black-striped suit with patches around the chest holds a katana. Above the film's title reads "THE 4TH FILM BY QUENTIN TARANTINO".
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Quentin Tarantino]]
| producer       = [[Lawrence Bender]]
| writer         = Quentin Tarantino
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Uma Thurman]]
* [[Lucy Liu]]
* [[Vivica A. Fox]]
* [[Michael Madsen]]
* [[Daryl Hannah]]
* [[David Carradine]]
* [[Sonny Chiba]]
* [[Julie Dreyfus]]
* [[Chiaki Kuriyama]]
* [[Gordon Liu]]
* [[Michael Parks]]
}}
| music          = [[RZA]]
| cinematography = [[Robert Richardson (cinematographer)|Robert Richardson]]
| editing        = [[Sally Menke]]
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* [[A Band Apart]]<ref name=afi/>
* [[Production I.G]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Miramax Films]]<ref name=afi/>
| released       = {{Film date|2003|10|10}}<!-- - [[WP:FILMRELEASE]] - -->
| runtime        = 111 minutes
| country        = United States<ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/62793|title=Kill Bill {{ndash}} Vol. 1|work=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=May 25, 2020|archive-date=August 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803030929/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/62793|url-status=live}}</ref>
| language       = English<br/>Cantonese<br/>Japanese<br/>French
| budget         = $30 million<ref name="Bomvol1">{{cite web |title=Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=killbill.htm |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-date=December 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229181756/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2103215617/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| gross          = $180.9 million<ref name="Bomvol1" />
}}
'''''Kill Bill:<!-- The official website shows a colon in the title. See here: http://www.miramax.com/movie/kill-bill-volume-1/ --> Volume 1''''' is a 2003 American [[martial arts film|martial arts]] [[action film]] written and directed by [[Quentin Tarantino]]. It stars [[Uma Thurman]] as [[The Bride (Kill Bill)|the Bride]], who swears revenge on a group of assassins ([[Lucy Liu]], [[Daryl Hannah]], [[Vivica A. Fox]] and [[Michael Madsen]]) and their leader, Bill ([[David Carradine]]), after they try to kill her and her unborn child. Her journey takes her to Tokyo, where she battles the [[yakuza]].

''Kill Bill'' was inspired by 1970s [[exploitation film]]s and martial arts films. It features an [[anime]] sequence by [[Production I.G]]. ''Volume 1'' is the first of two ''Kill Bill'' films made in a single production. They were originally set for a single release, but the film, with a runtime of over four hours, was divided in two. This meant Tarantino did not have to cut scenes. ''[[Kill Bill: Volume 2|Volume 2]]'' was released six months later.

''Kill Bill'' was theatrically released in the United States on October 10, 2003. It received positive reviews and grossed over $180 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, achieving the highest-grossing opening weekend of a Tarantino film to that point.

== Plot ==
In 1999, [[The Bride (Kill Bill)|the Bride]], a former member of the Deadly Vipers assassination squad, is rehearsing her wedding to Tommy Plympton at a chapel in [[El Paso, Texas]]. The Deadly Vipers, led by Bill, attack the chapel, shooting everyone. As the Bride lies wounded, she tells Bill he is the father of her unborn child just as he shoots her in the head.

The Bride falls into a coma. In the hospital, Elle Driver, one of the Deadly Vipers, prepares to assassinate her via lethal injection. Bill aborts the mission at the last moment, considering it dishonorable to kill her while she is defenseless.

The Bride awakens four years later and is horrified to discover she is no longer pregnant. She kills a man who intends to rape her, and a hospital worker who has been selling her body while she was comatose. She takes the hospital worker's truck and vows to kill Bill and the other Deadly Vipers.

The Bride goes to the home of Vernita Green, a former Deadly Viper who now leads a normal suburban life. They engage in a knife fight, which is interrupted when Vernita's young daughter arrives home. When Vernita tries to shoot the Bride with a pistol hidden in a box of cereal, the Bride throws a knife into her heart, killing her in front of her daughter, whom she offers the chance for revenge when she becomes older.

The Bride goes to Okinawa to obtain a sword from the legendary swordsmith [[Kill Bill: Volume 1#Hattori Hanzō|Hattori Hanzō]], who has sworn never to forge a sword again. After learning that her target is Bill, his former student, he crafts his finest sword for her.

The Bride travels to Tokyo to find another Deadly Viper, O-Ren Ishii, now the leader of the Tokyo [[yakuza]]. After witnessing the yakuza murder her parents when she was a child, O-Ren took vengeance on the yakuza boss and replaced him after training as an elite assassin.

The Bride tracks O-Ren to a restaurant, where she amputates the arm of O-Ren's assistant, Sofie Fatale. The Bride defeats O-Ren's squad of elite fighters, the Crazy 88, and kills O-Ren's bodyguard, the schoolgirl Gogo Yubari. O-Ren and the Bride duel in the restaurant's [[Japanese garden]]. The Bride kills O-Ren by slicing off the top of her head. She tortures Sofie for information about the other Deadly Vipers, and leaves her alive as a threat. Bill finds Sofie and asks her if the Bride knows that her daughter is alive.

== Cast ==
{{Castlist|
* [[Uma Thurman]] as [[The Bride (Kill Bill)|Beatrix "the Bride" Kiddo]] (code name Black Mamba), a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, described as "the deadliest woman in the world".
* [[Lucy Liu]] as {{visible anchor|O-Ren Ishii}} (code name Cottonmouth), a former Deadly Viper who has become the leader of the [[yakuza]] in Tokyo.
* [[Vivica A. Fox]] as {{visible anchor|Vernita Green}} (code name Copperhead), a former Deadly Viper and now a mother and homemaker living under the name Jeannie Bell.
* [[Daryl Hannah]] as {{vanchor|Elle Driver}} (code name California Mountain Snake), a former Deadly Viper, Bill's lover and the Bride's fourth target. Driver is based on Madeline ([[Christina Lindberg]]) in ''[[Thriller – A Cruel Picture|They Call Her One Eye]]''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RRmcAQAAQBAJ&dq=quentin+tarantino+interviews+revised+and+updated+one+eye&pg=PA120|page=120|title=Quentin Tarantino: Interviews, Revised and Updated|last1=Tarantino|first1=Quentin|last2=Peary|first2=Gerald|author-link2=Gerald Peary|publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]]|date=2013|access-date=October 22, 2021|isbn=9781617038747|archive-date=March 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304234226/https://books.google.com/books?id=RRmcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=quentin+tarantino+interviews+revised+and+updated+one+eye&source=bl&ots=omLR7by0PP&sig=ACfU3U1XJUFA9rT9LT2Qqv0Ssn9BPiYysg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjmmru5zK32AhUUJzQIHcIKBnoQ6AF6BAgoEAI#v=onepage&q=quentin%20tarantino%20interviews%20revised%20and%20updated%20one%20eye&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Michael Madsen]] as {{vanchor|Budd}} (code name Sidewinder), a former Deadly Viper and Bill's brother, working as a strip club bouncer. He is the Bride's third target.
* [[David Carradine]] as {{vanchor|Bill}} (code name Snake Charmer), the former leader of the Deadly Vipers, the Bride's former lover, and the father of her daughter. He is an [[unseen character]] until ''Volume 2''.
* [[Sonny Chiba]] as {{visible anchor|Hattori Hanzō}}, a sushi chef and long-retired master [[Bladesmith|swordsmith]].
* [[Chiaki Kuriyama]] as {{vanchor|Gogo Yubari}}, O-Ren's sadistic Japanese schoolgirl bodyguard.
* [[Gordon Liu]] as Johnny Mo, head of O-Ren's personal army, the {{vanchor|Crazy 88}}.
* [[Michael Parks]] as Ranger [[List of From Dusk till Dawn characters#Earl McGraw|Earl McGraw]], a Texas Ranger who investigates the wedding chapel massacre. Parks originated McGraw in the [[Robert Rodriguez]] film ''[[From Dusk till Dawn]]'', which Tarantino wrote and acted in. He reprised the role in both segments of the Rodriguez/Tarantino collaboration ''[[Grindhouse (film)|Grindhouse]]''. Parks also appeared in ''Volume 2'' as a separate character, Esteban Vihaio.
* [[Julie Dreyfus]] as {{vanchor|Sofie Fatale}}, O-Ren's lawyer, confidante, and second lieutenant. She is also a former protégée of Bill's and is present at the wedding chapel massacre.
* [[Michael Bowen (actor)|Michael Bowen]] as {{vanchor|Buck}}, an orderly at the hospital who has been raping and prostituting the Bride while she lay comatose.
* [[Jun Kunimura]] as Boss Tanaka, a yakuza whom O-Ren executes after he ridicules her ethnicity and gender.
* [[Kenji Ohba]] as Shiro, Hattori Hanzo's employee.
* Yuki Kazamatsuri as the Proprietress of the House of Blue Leaves.
* [[James Parks (actor)|James Parks]] as Ranger [[List of From Dusk till Dawn characters#Edgar McGraw|Edgar McGraw]], a Texas Ranger and son of Earl McGraw.
* [[Goro Daimon]] as Boss Honda
* [[Shun Sugata]] as Boss Genta
* [[Akaji Maro]] as Boss Ozawah
* [[Kazuki Kitamura]] as Boss Koji, a yakuza working for O-Ren. He also appeared as Bodyguard #2 in O-Ren's army, the Crazy 88. 
* [[The 5.6.7.8's]] (Sachiko Fuji, Yoshiko Yamaguchi and Ronnie Yoshiko Fujiyama) as themselves, performing at the House of Blue Leaves.
* [[Jonathan Loughran]] as Buck's trucker client, killed by the Bride after he attempts to rape her.
* [[Sakichi Sato]] as "Charlie Brown", a House of Blue Leaves employee who wears a kimono similar to the shirt worn by [[Charlie Brown|the ''Peanuts'' character]].
* Ambrosia Kelley as Nakia "Nikki" Bell, Vernita's four-year-old daughter.
* [[Yōji Tanaka]] as Crazy 88 #3
* [[Issey Takahashi]] as Crazy 88 #4
* [[Juri Manase]] as Crazy 88 #6
* [[Ai Maeda (voice actress)|Ai Maeda]] as O-Ren (anime sequence) (voice)
* [[Naomi Kusumi]] as Boss Matsumoto (anime sequence) (voice)
* [[Hikaru Midorikawa]] as Pretty Riki (anime sequence) (voice)
}}

== Production ==

=== Writing ===
[[File:KillBill.jpg|thumb|The chapel used in the opening sequence]]
[[Quentin Tarantino]] and Uma Thurman conceived the Bride character during the production of Tarantino's 1994 film ''[[Pulp Fiction]]''; ''Kill Bill'' credits the Bride character to "Q & U".<ref name="Otto-2004">{{Cite web|last=Otto|first=Jeff|title=Interview: Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/13/interview-quentin-tarantino-and-uma-thurman|access-date=March 12, 2016|website=IGN|date=April 13, 2004 |archive-date=April 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423235559/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/13/interview-quentin-tarantino-and-uma-thurman|url-status=live}}</ref> Tarantino spent a year and a half writing the script while he was living in New York City in 2000 and 2001, spending time with Thurman and her newborn daughter [[Maya Hawke|Maya]].<ref name="Otto-2004" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Quentin Tarantino - Screenwriter, Director, Producer - Biography|url=https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/quentin-tarantino|access-date=March 30, 2019|website=[[Biography (TV program)|Biography]]|archive-date=April 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412023429/https://www.biography.com/filmmaker/quentin-tarantino|url-status=live}}</ref> Reuniting with the more mature Thurman, now a mother, influenced the way Tarantino wrote the Bride character. He didn't realize that her child could still be alive until the end of the writing process.<ref name="Otto-2004" />

Tarantino developed many of the Bride's characteristics for the character of [[Inglourious Basterds#Shosanna Dreyfus|Shosanna Dreyfus]] for his 2009 film ''[[Inglourious Basterds]],'' which he worked on before ''Kill Bill''. Dreyfus was to be an assassin with a list of Nazis she would cross off as she killed. Tarantino switched the character to the Bride and redeveloped Dreyfus.<ref>{{cite interview |last=Rose |first=Charlie |title=Quentin Tarantino |url=https://charlierose.com/videos/26959 |access-date=March 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218222355/https://charlierose.com/videos/26959 |archive-date=December 18, 2021 |url-status=live |work=[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|Charlie Rose on PBS]] |date=August 21, 2009 |author-link=Charlie Rose |via=charlierose.com |time=22:00-24:00}}</ref> Thurman cited [[Clint Eastwood]]'s performance as [[Man with No Name|Blondie]] in the 1966 film ''[[The Good, the Bad and the Ugly]]'' as an inspiration. In her words, Eastwood "says almost nothing but somehow manages to portray a whole character".<ref>{{cite interview |title=99, Kill Bill's The Bride |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]] |location=New York City |date=June 4, 2010}}</ref>

Tarantino originally wrote Bill for [[Warren Beatty]], but as the character developed and the role required greater screen time and martial arts training, he rewrote it for [[David Carradine]].<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{Cite web|title=BBC – Films – interview – Quentin Tarantino|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/10/06/quentin_tarantino_kill_bill_volume1_interview.shtml|access-date=March 12, 2016|website=www.bbc.co.uk|archive-date=April 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424113719/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/10/06/quentin_tarantino_kill_bill_volume1_interview.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Beatty said he turned the role down, as he did not want to be away from his family while shooting in China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Warren Beatty Talks Turning Down 'Boogie Nights,' 'Kill Bill,' 'The Godfather' & 'Superman' |url=https://theplaylist.net/warren-beatty-talks-turning-boogie-nights-kill-bill-godfather-superman-20161118/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=theplaylist.net|date=November 18, 2016 }}</ref> Tarantino also considered [[Bruce Willis]] for the role.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2486961/the-three-actors-quentin-tarantino-considered-to-play-bill-in-kill-bill | title=The Three Actors Quentin Tarantino Considered to Play Bill in Kill Bill | date=December 17, 2019 }}</ref> He cast Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver after seeing her performance in the television film ''[[First Target]]''. The physical similarities between Thurman and Hannah inspired how he wrote the rivalry between the characters.<ref name="PressConference">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nenrOFdqiFg&t=271s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/nenrOFdqiFg| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Quentin Tarantino "Kill Bill Vol. 2" Press Conference 2004 - Bobbie Wygant Archive|date=December 4, 2020|time=0:04:31|access-date=July 25, 2021|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Michelle Yeoh]] met with Tarantino about a role in the film.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a40754240/michelle-yeoh-interview-2022/ | title=The Year of Michelle Yeoh | date=August 17, 2022 }}</ref>

An early draft included a chapter after the confrontation with Vernita, in which the Bride has a gunfight with Gogo Yubari's vengeful sister Yuki. It was cut because it would have made the film overlong and added $1 million to the budget.<ref name="Otto-2004" /> Another draft featured a scene in which the Bride's car is blown up by Elle.<ref name="Otto-2004" />

=== Filming ===
[[File:Kill Bill katana-P5120166-gradient.jpg|thumb|Reproduction of the katana used by the Bride]]
When Thurman became pregnant as shooting was ready to begin, Tarantino delayed the production, saying: "If [[Josef von Sternberg|Josef Von Sternberg]] is getting ready to make ''[[Morocco (film)|Morocco]]'' and [[Marlene Dietrich]] gets pregnant, he waits for Dietrich!"<ref name="bbc.co.uk" /> Principal photography began in 2002.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/article/2002/09/20/behind-scenes-look-kill-bill/ | title=A behind-the-scenes look at ''Kill Bill'' | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref> Although the scenes are presented out of chronological order, the film was shot in sequence.<ref name="Otto-2004" /> The choreographer [[Yuen Woo-ping|Yuen Woo-Ping]], whose credits included ''[[The Matrix]]'', was the martial arts advisor.<ref name="www.film4.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.film4.com/special-features/interviews/quentin-tarantino-on-kill-bill-vol1|title=Quentin Tarantino on Kill Bill Vol. 1 – Film4|website=www.film4.com|access-date=March 12, 2016|archive-date=April 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423150221/http://www.film4.com/special-features/interviews/quentin-tarantino-on-kill-bill-vol1|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[anime]] sequence, covering O-Ren Ishii's backstory, was directed by [[Kazuto Nakazawa]] and produced by [[Production I.G]], which had produced films including ''[[Ghost in the Shell (1995 film)|Ghost in the Shell]]'' and ''[[Blood: The Last Vampire]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/25_/ |title=Production I.G : WORK LIST : 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' (Animation Sequence) |website=[[Production I.G]] |date=2003 |access-date=March 12, 2016 |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604024543/http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/25_/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The combined production lasted 155 days and had a budget of $55 million.<ref name="Snyder">{{cite journal|last=Snyder|first=Gabriel|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/double-kill-bill-1117889372/|title=Double 'Kill' bill|journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=July 15, 2003|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=November 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108152504/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117889372|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to Tarantino, the most difficult part of making the film was "trying to take myself to a different place as a filmmaker and throw my hat in the ring with other great action directors", as opposed to the dialogue scenes he was known for.<ref name="Otto-2004" /> The House of Blue Leaves sequence, in which the Bride battles dozens of yakuza soldiers, took eight weeks to film, six weeks over schedule. Tarantino wanted to create "one of the greatest, most exciting sequences in the history of cinema".<ref name="www.film4.com" /> The crew eschewed [[computer-generated imagery]] in favor of [[practical effect]]s used in 1970s [[Cinema of China|Chinese cinema]], particularly by the director [[Chang Cheh]], including the use of fire extinguishers and condoms to create spurts and explosions of blood. Tarantino told his crew: "Let's pretend we're little kids and we're making a [[Super 8 film|Super 8]] movie in our back yard, and you don't have all this shit. How would you achieve this effect? Ingenuity is important here!"<ref name="www.film4.com" /><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,349193,00.html | title=Blood Sport | magazine=Time | date=September 30, 2002 | last1=Jakes | first1=Susan | access-date=November 9, 2023 | archive-date=October 10, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010154003/https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,349193,00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Near the end of filming, Thurman was injured in a crash while filming the scene in which she drives to Bill. According to Thurman, she was uncomfortable driving the car and asked that a stunt driver do it. Tarantino assured her that the car and road were safe. She lost control of the car and hit a tree, suffering a concussion and knee injuries.<ref name="Dowd1" /> According to Thurman, Miramax would only give her the crash footage if she signed a document "releasing them of any consequences of [Thurman's] future pain and suffering". Tarantino was apologetic, but their relationship became bitter for years afterwards. Thurman said that after the car crash she "went from being a creative contributor and performer to being like a broken tool". Miramax released the footage in 2018 after Thurman went to police following the [[Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations|accusations of sexual abuse]] against the producer, [[Harvey Weinstein]].<ref name="Dowd1">{{cite web |last1=Dowd |first1=Maureen |date=February 3, 2018 |title=This Is Why Uma Thurman Is Angry |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/03/opinion/sunday/this-is-why-uma-thurman-is-angry.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524142010/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/03/opinion/sunday/this-is-why-uma-thurman-is-angry.html |archive-date=May 24, 2019 |access-date=February 3, 2018 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/quentin-tarantino-uma-thurman-harvey-weinstein-kill-bill-car-crash-new-york-times-1202278988/ |title=Quentin Tarantino Explains Everything: Uma Thurman, The 'Kill Bill' Crash & Harvey Weinstein |work=Deadline |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=February 5, 2018 |access-date=August 17, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=January 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128041859/https://deadline.com/2018/02/quentin-tarantino-uma-thurman-harvey-weinstein-kill-bill-car-crash-new-york-times-1202278988/ }}</ref>

=== Editing ===
''Kill Bill'' was planned and filmed as a single film.<ref name="Snyder" /> After editing began, Weinstein, who was known for pressuring filmmakers to shorten their films, suggested that Tarantino split the film in two.<ref name="Snyder" /> This meant Tarantino did not have to cut scenes, such as the anime sequence. Tarantino told ''[[IGN]]'': "I'm talking about scenes that are some of the best scenes in the movie, but in this hurdling pace where you're trying to tell only one story, that would have been the stuff that would have had to go. But to me, that's kind of what the movie was, are these little detours and these little grace notes."<ref name="Otto-2004" /> The decision to split the film was announced in July 2003.<ref name="Snyder" /> Tarantino saved most of the Bride's character development for the second film, saying he wanted to make her scary rather than sympathetic for ''Volume 1.''<ref>{{cite interview |last=Ansen |first=David |title=Pulp Friction |magazine=[[Newsweek]] |publisher=[[IBT Media]] |location=New York City |date=November 13, 2003}}</ref>

== Music ==
{{Main|Kill Bill Vol. 1 Original Soundtrack}}

== Influences ==

''Kill Bill'' was inspired by [[exploitation film]]s that played in [[grindhouse|cheap US theaters]] in the 1970s, including [[Martial arts film|martial arts]] films, [[samurai cinema]], [[blaxploitation]] films and [[Spaghetti Western|spaghetti westerns]].<ref name="Rose, Steve-2004">{{cite web|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1186526,00.html|work=[[The Guardian]]|author=Rose, Steve|title=Found: where Tarantino gets his ideas|date=April 6, 2004|access-date=September 25, 2006|archive-date=September 29, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060929055040/http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,1186526,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It pays homage to the [[Shaw Brothers Studio]], known for its martial arts films, with the inclusion of the ShawScope logo in the opening titles and the "crashing zoom", a fast [[Zooming (filmmaking)|zoom]] usually ending in a [[close-up]] commonly used in Shaw Brothers films.<ref name="Bordwell-2009">{{cite web |last=Bordwell |first=David |date=October 2009 |title=Another Shaw Production: Anamorphic Adventures in Hong Kong |url=http://www.davidbordwell.net/essays/shaw.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310133848/http://www.davidbordwell.net/essays/shaw.php |archive-date=March 10, 2016 |access-date=March 11, 2016 |website=David Bordwell's Website On Cinema}}</ref> The Bride's yellow tracksuit, helmet and motorcycle resemble those used by [[Bruce Lee]] in the 1972 martial arts film ''[[Game of Death]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://whatculture.com/film/quentin-tarantino-definitive-guide.php/28|title=Quentin Tarantino: Definitive Guide To Homages, Influences And References|website=WhatCulture.com|access-date=March 13, 2016|archive-date=February 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216080427/http://whatculture.com/film/quentin-tarantino-definitive-guide.php/28|url-status=live}}</ref> The animated sequence pays homage to the [[anime]] ultraviolence shown in ''[[Golgo 13: The Professional]]'' (1983) as well as the [[Urban Gothic|urban gothic]] elements of ''[[Wicked City (1987 film)|Wicked City]]'' (1987).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E03KBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT1033 |title=The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation |last2=McCarthy |first2=Helen |date=2015 |publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]] |isbn=978-1-61172-909-2 |page=1033 |language=en |access-date=March 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/animeencyclopedi0000clem_s4w4/page/431/mode/1up?q=%22Kill+Bill%22&view=theater |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Tarantino stated in the supplementary material on the ''Kill Bill'' DVD that the character Hattori Hanzō was named in tribute to Sonny Chiba's former role as Hattori Hanzō (the historical 16th-century [[Iga-ryū|Iga ninja]]) in the 1980s Japanese TV series ''[[Shadow Warriors (TV series)|Shadow Warriors]]''.

''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote that ''Kill Bill''{{'}}s plot shares similarities with the 1973 Japanese film ''[[Lady Snowblood (film)|Lady Snowblood]]'', in which a woman kills off the gang who murdered her family, and observed that like how ''Lady Snowblood'' uses stills and illustration for "parts of the narrative that were too expensive to film", ''Kill Bill'' similarly uses "Japanese-style animation to break up the narrative".<ref name="Rose, Steve-2004" /> The plot also resembles the 1968 French film ''[[The Bride Wore Black]],'' in which a bride seeks revenge on five gang members and strikes them off a list as she kills them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://whatculture.com/film/quentin-tarantino-definitive-guide.php/25|title=Quentin Tarantino: Definitive Guide To Homages, Influences And References|website=WhatCulture.com|access-date=March 13, 2016|archive-date=February 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214002858/http://whatculture.com/film/quentin-tarantino-definitive-guide.php/25|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to Tarantino, the animated sequence in ''Kill Bill'' was inspired by the 2001 [[India]]n film ''[[Aalavandhan]]'' featuring [[Kamal Haasan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 November 2019 |title=When Quentin Tarantino was inspired by Kamal Haasan's film |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/when-quentin-tarantino-was-inspired-by-kamal-haasan-5901680/ |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

== Release ==

=== Theatrical ===
[[File:State Theater Ann Arbor, MI.jpg|thumb|The [[State Theatre (Ann Arbor, Michigan)|State Theater (Ann Arbor, MI)]] shows a double feature of ''Kill Bill Volume 1'' and ''Volume 2''.]]
''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' was released in theaters on {{nowrap|October 10}}, 2003. It was the first Tarantino film in six years, following ''[[Jackie Brown]]'' in 1997.<ref name="slays">{{cite news | last=Downey | first=Ryan J. | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1479716/kill-bill-takes-1-slot.jhtml | title='Kill Bill' Slays Box-Office Competition | publisher=MTV | date=October 13, 2003 | access-date=June 29, 2011 | archive-date=November 7, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107114830/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1479716/kill-bill-takes-1-slot.jhtml | url-status=dead }}</ref> In the United States and Canada, ''Volume 1'' was released in {{nowrap|3,102 theaters}} and grossed {{nowrap|$22 million}} on its opening weekend.<ref name="Bomvol1" /> Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, said ''Volume 1''{{'}}s opening weekend gross was significant for a "very genre specific and very violent" film that in the United States was restricted to theatergoers 17 years old and up.<ref name="gory" /> It ranked first at the box office, beating ''[[School of Rock]]'' (in its second weekend) and ''[[Intolerable Cruelty]]'' (in its first). ''Volume 1'' had the widest theatrical release<ref name="gory">{{cite news | last=Ogunnaike | first=Lola | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/13/movies/gory-kill-bill-tops-weekend-box-office.html | title=Gory 'Kill Bill' Tops Weekend Box Office | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 13, 2003 | access-date=February 10, 2017 | archive-date=July 1, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701005050/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/13/movies/gory-kill-bill-tops-weekend-box-office.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and highest-grossing opening weekend of a Tarantino film to date; ''Jackie Brown'' and ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'' (1994) had each grossed {{nowrap|$9.3 million}} on their opening weekends.<ref name="slays" /> According to the studio, exit polls showed that 90% of the audience was interested in seeing the second ''Kill Bill'' after seeing the first.<ref>{{cite news | last=Cooper | first=Andrew | url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-10-12-box-office_x.htm | title=Tarantino makes a box office killing | work=[[USA Today]] | date=October 12, 2003 | access-date=September 2, 2017 | archive-date=March 3, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303015140/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-10-12-box-office_x.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>

Outside the United States and Canada, ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' was released in {{nowrap|20 territories}}. The film outperformed its main competitor ''Intolerable Cruelty'' in Norway, Denmark and Finland, though it ranked second in Italy. ''Volume 1'' had a record opening in Japan, though expectations were higher due to the film being partially set there and because of its homages to Japanese martial arts cinema. It had "a muted entry" in the United Kingdom and Germany due to its 18 certificate, but "experienced acceptable drops" after its opening weekend in the two territories. By {{nowrap|November 2}}, 2003, it had made {{nowrap|$31 million}} in the {{nowrap|20 territories}}.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Groves | first=Don | url=https://variety.com/2003/film/box-office/kill-bill-cruelty-seesaw-across-globe-1117894882/ | title='Kill Bill,' 'Cruelty' seesaw across globe | journal=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=November 2, 2003 | access-date=February 19, 2020 | archive-date=November 8, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108152357/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117894882 | url-status=live }}</ref> It grossed a total of {{nowrap|$70 million}} in the United States and Canada and {{nowrap|$110.9 million}} in other territories for a worldwide total of {{nowrap|$180.9 million}}.<ref name="Bomvol1" />

=== Home media ===

In the United States, ''Volume 1'' was released on [[DVD]] and [[VHS]] on April 13, 2004, the week ''Volume 2'' was released in theaters. In a December 2005 interview, Tarantino addressed the lack of a special edition DVD for ''Kill Bill'' by stating "I've been holding off because I've been working on it for so long that I just wanted a year off from ''Kill Bill'' and then I'll do the big supplementary DVD package."<ref name="DVD1">{{cite web |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/tarantino%20brings%20kill%20bills%20together |title=Tarantino Brings Kill Bills Together |access-date=June 11, 2007 |date=December 21, 2005 |publisher=ContactMusic.com |archive-date=April 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407181623/http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/tarantino%20brings%20kill%20bills%20together |url-status=live }}</ref> After one week of release, the film's DVD sales had surpassed its {{US$|70 million|long=no}} US box office gross.<ref>{{cite news |title=DVDs can push big-money films into profitability |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-04-21-master-movies_x.htm |work=[[USA Today]] |date=April 22, 2004 |access-date=September 12, 2018 |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116141343/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-04-21-master-movies_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The United States does not have a DVD boxed set of ''Kill Bill'', though box sets of the two separate volumes are available in other countries, such as France, Japan and the United Kingdom. Upon the DVD release of ''Volume 2'' in the US, however, Best Buy did offer an exclusive box set slipcase to house the two individual releases together.<ref name="DVD3">{{cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/features/best_dvd_packag.html |title=Best DVD Packaging of 2004 |access-date=June 11, 2007 |publisher=DVD Talk |archive-date=June 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621161359/http://www.dvdtalk.com/features/best_dvd_packag.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Volume 1'', along with ''Volume 2'', was released in [[High-definition video|High Definition]] on [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] on September 9, 2008, in the United States. As of March 2012, ''Volume 1'' sold 141,456 Blu-ray units in the US, grossing $1,477,791.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) - Video Sales |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kill-Bill-Volume-1#tab=video-sales |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=September 10, 2018 |archive-date=November 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118215124/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kill-Bill-Volume-1#tab=video-sales |url-status=live }}</ref>

After [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] sold [[Miramax]] to [[Filmyard Holdings]] in 2010, the home media and streaming rights for both ''Kill Bill'' films were sold to [[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]], who reissued the Blu-ray and DVD releases on April 26, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kill-Bill-Volume-1-Blu-ray/22123/|title= Kill Bill: Volume 1 Blu-ray|access-date= August 17, 2023|work= Blu-ray.com}}</ref> A limited edition steelbook release sold exclusively in [[Best Buy]] stores was released on November 24, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kill-Bill-Volume-1-Blu-ray/90720/|title= Kill Bill: Volume 1 Blu-ray (Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook)|access-date= August 17, 2023|work= Blu-ray.com}}</ref> Following [[Paramount Global]]'s 49% stake in Miramax, the film was reissued on Blu-ray and DVD by [[Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment]] on September 22, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kill-Bill-Volume-1-Blu-ray/274487/|title= Kill Bill: Volume 1 Blu-ray|access-date= August 17, 2023|work= Blu-ray.com}}</ref> In 2023, [[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]] announced that they had purchased the distribution rights to both ''Kill Bill'' films, along with ''[[Jackie Brown]]'', and announced a UHD release for the film's 20th anniversary; all three films were released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 10, 2023, and in 4K on physical and digital on January 21, 2025, with both ''Kill Bill'' films upscaled to 4K.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://deadline.com/2023/05/quentin-tarantino-kill-bill-jackie-brown-rights-lionsgate-1235380122/|title= Lionsgate Partners With Quentin Tarantino For Rights To 'Kill Bill' Volumes I & II, 'Jackie Brown'; Plans Remastered 'Kill Bill' For 20th Anniversary|access-date= August 17, 2023|date= May 25, 2023|first= Jill|last= Goldsmith|work= Deadline}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kill-Bill-Volume-1-Blu-ray/343796/|title=Kill Bill: Volume 1 Blu-ray (Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD)|access-date=5 December 2024|work= Blu-ray.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Kill-Bill-Volume-1-4K-Blu-ray/306617/|title=Kill Bill: Volume 1 4K Blu-ray|access-date=5 December 2024|work= Blu-ray.com}}</ref>

== Reception ==
On the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' has a score of 85% based on reviews from 238 critics; the average rating is 7.70/10. Its consensus reads: "''Kill Bill'' is admittedly little more than a stylish revenge thriller – albeit one that benefits from a wildly inventive surfeit of style."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kill_bill_vol_1/ | title=Kill Bill: Volume 1 | publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | access-date=September 2, 2021 | archive-date=September 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902153454/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kill_bill_vol_1 | url-status=live }}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a weighted average score 69 out of 100 based on 43 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/kill-bill-vol-1 | title=Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | publisher=[[Metacritic]] | access-date=June 29, 2011 | archive-date=April 13, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413014107/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/kill-bill-vol-1 | url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |publisher=[[CinemaScore]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809062201/http://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=August 9, 2019 |access-date=September 20, 2021}}{{cbignore}} Each film's score can be accessed from the website's search bar.</ref>

[[A. O. Scott]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote:{{cquote|While being so relentlessly exposed to a filmmaker's idiosyncratic turn-ons can be tedious and off-putting, the undeniable passion that drives ''Kill Bill'' is fascinating, even, strange to say it, endearing. Mr. Tarantino is an irrepressible showoff, recklessly flaunting his formal skills as a choreographer of high-concept violence, but he is also an unabashed cinephile, and the sincerity of his enthusiasm gives this messy, uneven spectacle an odd, feverish integrity.<ref>{{cite news | last=Scott | first=A. O. | author-link=A. O. Scott | url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9804E6D7163FF933A25753C1A9659C8B63 | title=Film Review; Blood Bath & Beyond | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=October 10, 2003 | access-date=February 10, 2017 | archive-date=May 3, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503060946/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9804E6D7163FF933A25753C1A9659C8B63 | url-status=live }} (Metacritic Score: 70)</ref>}}

[[Manohla Dargis]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' a "blood-soaked valentine to movies. ... It's apparent that Tarantino is striving for more than an off-the-rack mash note or a pastiche of golden oldies. It is, rather, his homage to movies shot in celluloid and wide, wide, wide, wide screen — an ode to the time right before movies were radically secularized." She also recognized Tarantino's technical talent, but thought the film's appeal was too limited to popular culture references, calling its story "the least interesting part of the whole equation".<ref>{{cite news|last=Dargis|first=Manohla|date=October 10, 2003|title=Kill Bill Vol. 1|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=http://www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-dargis10oct10,0,7714331.story|access-date=July 6, 2011|archive-date=March 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303015147/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts|url-status=live}} (Metacritic Score: 70)</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave it 4 out of 4, describing Tarantino as "effortlessly and brilliantly in command of his technique". He wrote: "The movie is not about anything at all except the skill and humor of its making. It's kind of brilliant."<ref>{{cite news | last=Ebert | first=Roger | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kill-bill-volume-1-2003 | title=Kill Bill, Vol. 1 | work=RogerEbert.com | date=October 10, 2003 | access-date=July 28, 2016 | archive-date=July 23, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723003529/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kill-bill-volume-1-2003 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Cultural historian [[Maud Lavin]] states that the Bride's embodiment of revenge taps into viewers' personal fantasies of committing violence. For audiences, particularly women viewers, the character provides a complex site for identification with one's own aggression.<ref>Lavin, Maud (2010). "Push Comes to Shove: New Images of Aggressive Women", p. 123. [[MIT Press]], Cambridge. {{ISBN|978-0-262-12309-9}}.</ref>

=== Accolades ===
[[Uma Thurman]] received a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Golden Globe Best Actress]] nomination in 2004. She was also nominated in 2004 for a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role]], in addition with four other [[BAFTA]] nominations. ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' was placed in ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' Magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Films of All Time at number 325 and the Bride was also ranked number 66 in ''Empire'' magazine's "100 Greatest Movie Characters".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=66 |title=The 100 Greatest Movie Characters&#124; 66. The Bride &#124; Empire |publisher=www.empireonline.com |date=December 5, 2006 |access-date=May 29, 2012 |archive-date=October 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019182257/http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/default.asp?c=66 |url-status=live }}</ref> Neither ''Kill Bill'' movie received any [[Academy Awards]] (Oscars) nominations.

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Awards
|- style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#ccc;"| Award
! style="background:#ccc;"| Category
! style="background:#ccc;"| Recipient(s)
! style="background:#ccc;"| Outcome
|-
| rowspan="6"|[[57th British Academy Film Awards]]
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress]]
| [[Uma Thurman]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]]
| [[Sally Menke]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Music|Best Film Music]]
| [[RZA]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| [[Michael Minkler]], [[Myron Nettinga]], [[Wylie Stateman]], and Mark Ulano
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
| Tommy Tom, Kia Kwan, Tam Wai, Kit Leung, Jaco Wong, and Hin Leung
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="5"|[[9th Empire Awards]]
|-
| [[Empire Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| ''Kill Bill: Volume 1''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Empire Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Uma Thurman
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[Empire Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[Quentin Tarantino]]
| {{Won}}
|-
| Sony Ericsson Scene of the Year
| The House of the Blue Leaves
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[61st Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama]]
| Uma Thurman
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="3"|[[2004 MTV Movie Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=278086&title=2004-MTV-MOVIE-AWARDS-A-DONE-DEAL |title= 2004 MTV Movie Awards a Done Deal  |work= [[Hits (magazine)|Hits]] |date= June 7, 2004 |access-date= November 23, 2023 |archive-date= November 23, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231123055201/https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=278086&title=2004-MTV-MOVIE-AWARDS-A-DONE-DEAL |url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Performance|Best Female Performance]]
| Uma Thurman
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Villain|Best Villain]]
| [[Lucy Liu]]
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Fight|Best Fight]]
| Uma Thurman vs. [[Chiaki Kuriyama]]
| {{Won}}
|-
| rowspan="5"|[[Golden Satellite Awards 2003|2003 Satellite Awards]]
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Art Direction and Production Design|Best Art Direction/Production Design]]
| ''Kill Bill: Volume 1''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]]
| Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| ''Kill Bill: Volume 1''
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
| ''Kill Bill: Volume 1''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="8"|[[30th Saturn Awards]]
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Action or Adventure Film|Best Action/Adventure Film]]
| ''Kill Bill: Volume 1''
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Uma Thurman
| {{Won}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Sonny Chiba]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Lucy Liu
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Quentin Tarantino
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Writing|Best Screenplay]]
| Quentin Tarantino
| {{nom}}
|-
| Genre Face of the Future
| [[Chiaki Kuriyama]]
| {{nom}}
|}

==Sequel==
{{Main|Kill Bill: Volume 2}}
A direct sequel, ''Kill Bill: Volume 2'', was released in April 2004. It continues the Bride's quest to kill Bill and the remaining members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. ''Volume 2'' was also a critical and commercial success, earning over $150 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/kill-bill-vol-2|title=Kill Bill: Vol. 2 Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=March 13, 2018|archive-date=March 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327060448/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/kill-bill-vol-2|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/apr/19/news.quentintarantino|title=Bill makes a killing at US box office|author=Staff|date=April 19, 2004|work=[[The Guardian]]|quote=Kill Bill: Volume 2's total... confirmed the financial good sense of Miramax's decision to split the movie in two.|access-date=January 26, 2020|archive-date=January 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126010712/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/apr/19/news.quentintarantino|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
''[[Kill Buljo]]'' is a 2007 Norwegian parody of ''Kill Bill'' set in [[Finnmark]], Norway, and portrays Jompa Tormann's hunt for Tampa and Papa Buljo. The film satirizes stereotypes of Norway's [[Sami people|Sami]] population. According to the Norwegian newspaper ''[[Dagbladet]]'', Tarantino approved of the parody.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dagbladet.no/tekstarkiv/artikkel.php?id=5001070049252 |title=Tekstarkiv |publisher=Dagbladet.no |access-date=July 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505195416/http://www.dagbladet.no/tekstarkiv/artikkel.php?id=5001070049252 |archive-date=May 5, 2009}}</ref>

The ''Pussy Wagon'' vehicle from ''Volume 1'' made a cameo in the music video for [[Lady Gaga]] and [[Beyoncé]]'s 2010 song "[[Telephone (song)|Telephone]]" at Tarantino's behest.<ref name="Telephone">{{cite web |first=Jason |last=Gregory |title=Lady Gaga: 'Pussy Wagon In Telephone Video Was Quentin Tarantino's Idea' |date=March 12, 2010 |publisher=[[Gigwise]] |url=http://www.gigwise.com/news/55224/Lady-Gaga-'Pussy-Wagon-In-Telephone-Video-Was-Quentin-Tarantino's-Idea' |access-date=November 23, 2015 |archive-date=October 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030163638/http://www.gigwise.com/news/55224/Lady-Gaga-%27Pussy-Wagon-In-Telephone-Video-Was-Quentin-Tarantino%27s-Idea%27 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 2023 single [[Kill Bill (SZA song)|"Kill Bill"]] by the American singer-songwriter [[SZA]] was inspired by the film.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hopper |first=Alex |date=February 7, 2023 |title=The Revengeful Meaning Behind SZA's "Kill Bill" |url=https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-meaning-of-szas-kill-bill/ |access-date=January 20, 2025 |magazine=[[American Songwriter]]}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Quentin Tarantino filmography]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|display=''Kill Bill: Volume 1''|d=Q165325|voy=Kill Bill tourism|n=no|b=no|v=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no|c=Category:Kill Bill}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* {{Anime News Network|anime|4448|Kill Bill Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren}}

{{Kill Bill}}
{{Quentin Tarantino}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Kill Bill: Volume 1''
|list =
{{MTV Movie Award for Best Fight}}
{{Saturn Award for Best Action or Adventure Film}}
}}
{{Production I.G films}}

{{Portal bar|United States|Film}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Kill Bill]]
[[Category:2003 action films]]
[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:A Band Apart films]]
[[Category:American action films]]
[[Category:American films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:American splatter films]]
[[Category:2000s feminist films]]
[[Category:Films about secret societies]]
[[Category:Films directed by Quentin Tarantino]]
[[Category:Films produced by Lawrence Bender]]
[[Category:Films scored by RZA]]
[[Category:Films set in Mexico]]
[[Category:Films set in Okinawa Prefecture]]
[[Category:Films set in Texas]]
[[Category:Films set in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Films shot in Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Films shot in Beijing]]
[[Category:Films shot in China]]
[[Category:Films shot in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Mexico]]
[[Category:Films shot in Tokyo]]
[[Category:Girls with guns films]]
[[Category:Kung fu films]]
[[Category:American martial arts films]]
[[Category:American nonlinear narrative films]]
[[Category:American rape and revenge films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Quentin Tarantino]]
[[Category:American vigilante films]]
[[Category:Yakuza films]]
[[Category:Miramax films]]
[[Category:2003 martial arts films]]
[[Category:Miramax franchises]]
[[Category:American neo-noir films]]
[[Category:2000s vigilante films]]
[[Category:Japan in non-Japanese culture]]
[[Category:American crossover films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:English-language action films]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]