| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that they should exercise the strongest caution before allowing their kids to see this film. They should know that the movie has the most intense, graphic, brutal, and destructive violence imaginable (at least until Tarantino thinks up something new). Body parts are sliced off and blood gushes and spurts like a geyser. Many characters are maimed and many more are killed. A mother is murdered in front of her young child. A man's head is sliced off and tossed around. A character is repeatedly raped while she is unconscious. Characters drink and smoke and use very strong language.
Uma Thurman plays someone we just know as "The Bride" (her name is bleeped out). On her wedding day, the entire wedding party was killed by her former associates, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad (DiVAS). The pregnant Bride was beaten and shot in the head, but did not die. She lost her baby and was in a coma for four years. When she wakes up, she seeks revenge from each of the DiVAS and their leader, Bill.
This is a stylish and visually striking movie, but it is also a very violent movie, possibly the most violent movie ever released by a major American movie studio. The carnage is so completely and outrageously over the top that it could trigger laughs, but some may find the endless slicing off of body parts and gallons of fake spurting blood overwhelming or even numbing. Much of the movie is one fight scene after another, yet the revenge provides a motive and a hero, giving the fight scenes enough forward momentum to feel like a story.
Fans of this genre will find it sensationally entertaining. The action scenes are brilliantly staged, and Tarantino's other trademarks -- cool music, playing around with time, and brilliant dialogue are all there in full force. Uma Thurman , Viveca A. Fox, and Lucy Liu hold their own in fight scenes with eye-popping visuals that would overwhelm most performers.
Families can talk about the sources of inspiration Tarantino drew from.
| Studio: | Miramax |
| Director: | Quentin Tarantino |
| Cast: | Lucy Liu, Uma Thurman, Vivica A. Fox |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Run time: | 90 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | October 9, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | April 13, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | strong bloody violence, language and some sexual content |