Japanese steel

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

(2003)

Noticed in end credits: Uma's stunt double is Kiwi Zoë Bell, who plays stunt woman Zoë Bell in Death Proof. This was her first work in a feature film.

When this came out, I incautiously pronounced it Tarantino's best yet and committed to Vol. 2 and the combined DVD that I was sure would follow, with additional footage. Well, in the first place, the notion that this is better than Pulp Fiction is just silly. In the second place, Vol. 2 turned out to be a sizable disappointment.

Still, this is pretty damned good, if for nothing else than the exhilarating joy of females kicking ass. Which, of course, has become a Taratino theme, after early justifiable criticism of the short shrift female characters got in his films, when they were there at all.