Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a 2003 revenge thriller directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film follows Beatrix Kiddo, also known as The Bride (Uma Thurman), as she embarks on a relentless quest to take revenge on her former assassin comrades and their leader, Bill (David Carradine), who attempted to kill her on her wedding day.
The film opens with a black-and-white scene showing The Bride lying on the floor of a chapel, bloodied and beaten. Bill, her former lover and the leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad caresses her face before shooting her in the head. The film is then broken into a series of chapters.
Chapter 1: 2 (or V) for Vendetta
The Bride arrives at the suburban home of Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), a former Deadly Viper Assassination Squad member, now living under the alias Jeannie Bell with her young daughter. A brutal knife fight ensues in the living room, but they pause when Vernita’s daughter returns home from school. The two women agree to settle their score that night, but Vernita tries to ambush The Bride with a concealed gun. The Bride kills her instantly, but when Vernita’s daughter witnesses the murder, The Bride tells the child she can seek revenge when she grows up.
Chapter 2: The Blood-Spattered Bride
Flashing back four years, we see The Bride lying in a coma in a hospital. Another assassin, Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), sneaks into her room to kill her, but Bill cancels the hit at the last moment. The Bride eventually awakens, realizes she has lost her unborn child, and kills a hospital orderly who had been exploiting her comatose body. She steals a wheelchair, escapes the hospital, and regains her strength before embarking on her revenge quest.
Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren
A stylized animated sequence recounts the tragic backstory of O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), one of The Bride’s targets. As a child, O-Ren witnessed the brutal murder of her parents at the hands of a Yakuza boss. She became an elite assassin and eventually took control of the Tokyo underworld.
Chapter 4: The Man from Okinawa
The Bride travels to Okinawa, Japan, where she seeks out legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzō (Sonny Chiba). Though he has retired from making weapons, she convinces him to forge one final katana for her, explaining that she is on a mission to kill Bill, his former student.
Chapter 5: Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves
The Bride tracks O-Ren Ishii to Tokyo, where she confronts her at a nightclub called the House of Blue Leaves. O-Ren is accompanied by her elite bodyguard, Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama), and the Crazy 88, her personal army. After a brutal and visually stunning battle, The Bride kills Gogo, defeats the Crazy 88 in a blood-soaked showdown, and finally faces O-Ren in a snowy garden. They duel with katanas, and The Bride ultimately kills O-Ren.
Before leaving, she spares Sofie Fatale (Julie Dreyfus), O-Ren’s assistant, and sends her back to Bill with a warning. The film ends with Bill revealing a shocking truth to Sofie—The Bride’s child is still alive.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a visually striking, genre-blending homage to martial arts films, samurai cinéma, and spaghetti westerns. It is known for its intense action sequences, stylized violence, and Tarantino’s signature nonlinear storytelling.
The Other Cinema 