Buy KILL BILL, VOL. 1 on DVD April 13 (Miramax Home Ent., $29.99) and watch it again or for the first time before checking out VOL 2 in theaters this weekend. That was always the shrewd marketing plan and, if Quentin Tarantino has his way there will be an anime prequel in the future. For now, enjoy the orgasmic blood and gore of this Hong Kong samurai/spaghetti western homage with left for dead assassin Uma Thurman getting her revenge. Splashy color, anime (from Production I.G.) a climactic swordfight in black and white (to appease the MPAA), flashbacks, flashforwards - it's a '70s dream. Barebones extras (a featurette and performance footage by the Japanese band "5, 6, 7, 8's"), so you might want to wait for the deluxe edition with VOL 2 and all the extras, which is also part of the marketing plan.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
