This Quentin Tarantino Debate Still Has Fans Confused 20 Years Later

Head over to the movie subreddit or any number of movie-based forums and you’ll find a hefty amount of discussion surrounding Kill Bill. It’s easy to see why when you consider the fact that Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 were not only critically acclaimed, but were also successful at the box office. While an overwhelming majority of fans can agree that Kill Bill is one of Quentin Tarantino’s finest projects, one topic is still up for debate. And despite having 20 years for people to state their case, we are still pretty far from a consensus. That topic is whether Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 should be considered two separate films or as one cohesive epic.

If you’ve followed Tarantino’s career closely, then you’d know that he’s arguably one of the most self-indulgent filmmakers of all-time, especially when it comes to writing his dialogue. And that’s just the way his fans like it. Besides, who can argue with the results? He’s created some of the most iconic and quotable films in cinematic history. And depending on how you look at it, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 are two of those movies. Or is it just one of those films? The story of The Bride (Uma Thurman) is an engrossing and hypnotizing journey of sword-wielding vengeance as she tracks down those responsible for taking everything from her. But what’s the best way to watch it? You know, besides in 4K Blu-ray.

Sliced in Half

The development of Kill Bill can be traced all the way back to 1994, when Uma Thurman and Tarantino concocted the story while making Pulp Fiction. Following the birth of Thurman’s child, Maya Hawke, in 1998, Tarantino developed a new take on The Bride, making her maternal instincts a vital part of her character arc. When production of the project began in 2002, Kill Bill was planned as just a single movie, with a very reasonable budget of $55 million. However, while in the editing process, Tarantino encountered a major problem. He had too many amazing scenes to fit into a modest two-hour runtime. At the request of Miramax producer Harvey Weinstein, it was then decided to splice Kill Bill into two films.

Although the idea of forcing moviegoers to pay twice to see a complete movie is a bold move, it certainly paid off in the long run. After its October 2003 theatrical release, Kill Bill: Volume 1 grossed over $180 million worldwide. Equipped with a snappy cliffhanger, Kill Bill Volume 1 did an excellent job of setting the stage for its now highly-anticipated sequel. Six months later, Kill Bill: Volume 2 was released to a wave of critical acclaim on its way to earning an additional $150 million at the worldwide box office. Not a bad haul for what was originally conceived as one movie. But did that six-month delay do enough to make the two volumes feel justified?

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The Whole Bloody Affair

In an effort to finally give fans the complete experience, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was released in 2011. The film offers a run time of over four hours, stitching together both volumes into one cohesive movie — just the way that Tarantino envisioned. While there aren’t really any truly significant scenes added to the new cut, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair plays out like a free-flowing epic that allows viewers to fully appreciate The Bride’s journey from a horribly wronged ex-lover to a vengeful angel of death. Viewers can even catch different glimpses and an all-color presentation of the slaughter at The House of Blue Leaves.

So, as one Reddit user asked, which version of the movie is the best? Unless you have yet to see Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 separately, it can actually be fairly difficult to think of them as one cohesive film at this point. The biggest reason for that is the fact that they are so different from each other. Kill Bill: Volume 1 is a movie that offers up show-stopping action set pieces that include comedic amounts of blood and dismemberments. It’s fast-paced and is more worried about setting the tone for the narrative than fully developing a few of its key side characters, such as Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox). On the flip side, Kill Bill: Volume 2 is much more deliberate in its storytelling. There aren’t any over-the-top battles against a small army, but you still get your fill of heart-stopping action. Volume 2 is more about filling in the blanks and painting a complete picture as to what led to The Bride’s journey. We also get a chance to watch Uma Thurman chewing up scenes in yet another perfect role for her.

What do you think? Should Kill Bill be enjoyed as two separate films or as one complete epic? You can rent Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 on Amazon Prime and find out for yourself. As for Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, it can be fairly difficult to track down that cut.