After six years away from the screens, Quentin Tarantino produced two separate flicks that came out within six months of each other. Granted, they were both really just one movie split in half, but after such a long wait, I didn’t quibble.

If you didn’t see Volume 1, you’ll feel pretty lost during Volume 2. The film starts with a brief opening that presents a quick introduction from the Bride (Uma Thurman) about her mission of vengeance, but that’s pretty much it.

Since the first movie pursued the progress of the Bride’s “Death List Five”, the second one continues that path. The Bride knocked off two of those five in the initial installment, and now she plans to go after Budd (Michael Madsen), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) and Bill (David Carradine) himself.

The film follows a more chronological progression than the first but still allows ample time for flashbacks. It opens with more from the wedding chapel slaughter that left the Bride in a long coma, and we also see her training with martial arts expert Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) as well as a couple of other leaps to the past. All of this leads inexorably toward the Bride’s final confrontation with Bill itself. (Oh, and along the way, we finally learn the Bride’s real name.)

In the original DVD’s booklet, we found an essay that stated Bill 2 “isn’t just more of the same”. And that statement’s totally correct. Anyone who goes into the second part with expectations to find the same level of over-the-top action and mayhem will clearly leave disappointed.

That’s probably good to know going into the movie, for it makes the experience more satisfying. Bill 2 offers a significantly more introspective and less flashy piece. When fights occur, they rarely last very long, and they don’t go for the same sense of pizzazz and drama. Heck, the Bride doesn’t even get to attack one of her Death List Five, and the other two end on subdued notes. In fact, it’s not even clear that one of the Five gets killed! What kind of revenge movie is that?

An occasionally slow-paced and slightly frustrating one, I admit, but also ultimately a more satisfying one than a movie that never deviated from the beaten path. Whereas the first volume took most of its cues from the films of the East, Bill 2 looks toward the occident, as it comes across much more like a Western than a standard martial arts extravaganza.

Bill 2 features a surprisingly restrained Tarantino. Unlike the first volume, it includes tons of dialogue; it’s a much chattier film than the action-oriented Bill 1. However, fans of Tarantino’s patented clever wordplay won’t feel satisfied here, as the movie fails to deliver memorable one-liners or exchanges.

But those would have been out of place in this movie, for it presents the closest thing to a real character drama that Tarantino’s devised through that period. His prior movies focused more on scenarios than characters, whereas Bill 2 is almost totally about the people and their relationships. It’s notable that we saw almost nothing of Bill in the first volume; he was simply the man behind the scenes who ran the show. When we get to know him, complexities emerge that turn him into a three-dimensional person, not just a cartoon villain.

And that helps make the climax more effective. The Bride’s quest starts out as simplistic and one-dimensional, but it becomes much more complicated as the film progresses. By the end, it remains unclear if she’ll actually even try to live up to the title and kill Bill, whereas a standard movie would pursue that end relentlessly.

Is Kill Bill Volume 2 as entertaining as Volume 1? No, for it lacks the same showiness and wildness. However, it may be more satisfying since it gives us a sense of depth and reality, something that seems tough to achieve in a flick about super-skilled assassins. Bill 2 isn’t as “fun” as its predecessor, but it’s a rich conclusion to the saga that delivers what it needs to finish off the story.

Footnote: stick through the end credits to see a fun outtake.

Kill Bill Volume 2 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became an appealing presentation.

Sharpness came across well, as very little softness crept through during the movie. Overall, the movie almost always appeared quite crisp and detailed. Jagged edges and shimmering created no problems, and edge haloes failed to mar the image. As for print flaws, I thought the image remained clean.

While the palette of Bill 2 was stylized, it didn’t match up with the wildly varying tones of the first volume. For the most part, the movie went with a fairly rich and occasionally slightly oversaturated look. Variations occurred during the Pai Mei scenes, which seemed less intense and a little intentionally washed-out. We also got more than a few black and white sequences. The colors always looked appropriately rendered and full.

Black levels seemed deep and firm, while low-light shots looked clean and accurately delineated except for a few moderately dense day for night shots. The transfer created a satisfying reproduction of the film.

As was the case for the movie itself, the Uncompressed 5.1 soundfield of Bill 2 was more subdued than what I found with Bill 1, though the use of audio varied dependent on the setting. Much of the movie featured an emphasis on the forward spectrum. Since this flick included fewer fight sequences than the first volume, it appeared less active.

Nonetheless, the track complemented the film well and could present very engrossing audio at times. The best auditory sequence definitely came when the Bride was buried alive; the visuals departed and we depended solely on sound to convey the scene. Music also demonstrated significant support from the surrounds at times. Effects always seemed accurately placed and they moved smoothly around the field. The elements blended cleanly and naturally.

Audio quality seemed solid. Dialogue always sounded distinctive and crisp, with no issues connected to intelligibility or edginess. Music varied somewhat since the film used so much source material, but the songs and scores mainly came across as vivid and dynamic. Effects presented lively elements, with good clarity and range. Bass response was clean and tight, and the entire track seemed accurate and vibrant. The audio of Kill Bill Volume 2 consistently satisfied.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the 2004 DVD? Audio showed more range and depth, while visuals were cleaner, tighter and more dynamic. The Blu-ray created a clear upgrade.

The Blu-ray repeats the DVD’s extras – which is too bad, as that means we don’t get much. The prime attraction comes from The Making of Kill Bill. This 26-minute, four-second piece presents notes from writer/director Quentin Tarantino, producer Lawrence Bender, composer Robert Rodriguez, and actors Uma Thurman, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, and Michael Madsen. They get into the the story, the differences between the two movies and their connections, the characters and the actors, reactions to the films, Tarantino’s style, and the music.

While the “making of” show on Volume 1 proved surprisingly informative, this one falls more heavily into the category of promotional fluff. We only learn a little about the movie’s creation, as we see way too many film clips and mostly hear banal generalizations about the story and the characters. Some decent behind the scenes footage appears, and we learn some neat trivia notes, but it lacks much depth.

Next we find a performance from Chingon Musical Performance. In this 11-minute and 34-second clip, we watch the band play the tune from the film’s end credits. It’s a mildly interesting piece at best.

We get one deleted scene. Called “Damoe”, this three-minute and 38-second segment shows a fight between Bill and a gang whose master he killed. It would have come during the flashback sequence in which Bill takes the Bride to be trained by Pai Mei. I think this clip should have stayed in the movie. It shows us Bill’s skills - which we really don’t see otherwise - and adds some action.

After a wild tale of violence in the first film, we don’t get much of the same in Kill Bill Volume 2. That will disappoint some, but it ends up making the story richer and with greater depth. Though Bill 2 lacks the “in your face” energy of the initial entry, it compensates with emotion and humanity. The Blu-ray offered strong picture and audio but skimped on bonus materials. It’s too bad the package includes such minor supplements, but it presents the movie in fine fashion.

To rate this film, visit the original review of KILL BILL: VOLUME TWO