Monday Movie Moments: Kill Bill Vol. 1

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. There are great movies, and then there are great scenes. Ideally, the two come as a package deal, but sometimes there’s just a scene that’s memorable all by itself. Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a formative movie moment that may be notable for its style, content, technique, or something else altogether. Minor spoilers will be referenced in this edition of the series, so please stop reading if you’ve somehow avoided seeing the movie in question.

Last week’s entry involved some bloody violence, and so do this one, which starts with Uma Thurman’s the Bride, her hospital gown and mouth covered in blood, throwing off her predatory attacker. Having woken up only moments before from a deep coma, it doesn’t take long for the Bride to figure out just what was going on and to regain some basic movement, though standing up turns out to be more difficult than she had imagined. As a result, we’re treated to one of the most fabulously choreographed scenes from either of the “Kill Bill” films, which is saying something. Michael Bowen’s Buck has no idea what he’s in for when he casually opens the door to check on his customer, and this is one of the best instances of director Quentin Tarantino reusing music from the past, which in this case is “Seven Notes in Black” by the Vince Tempera Orchestra. It works magnificently as a score for Buck’s awe and amazement as the camera pans down and gets a perfect shot of Buck’s cross as the Bride is revealed to be lying on the ground behind him with a knife. This episode also showcases Thurman’s acting abilities, as she mocks Buck’s signature line right before she kills him by slamming his head in a door and then takes his car. This is a fantastic film, and this is one of its subtler, most effective scenes.