KILL BILL!

Tarantino, Q. (2003) Kill Bill   is an excellent representation of Women’s empowerment in cinema. The story shows an ex-assassin going on a ‘roaring rampage of revenge’ when her former employer Bill conducts a massacre at her wedding rehearsal, killing everyone she loves and even her unborn child. The film is set in chapters where she tracks down and kills the people responsible, all leading up to a final confrontation with Bill.

The first part of the film ‘Vol 1’ is particularly interesting when thinking about Women in cinema as most of the characters are indeed Women, and have high roles in the world the film is set in. Lucy Liu’s character is the head of a Japanese mafia, Vivica Fox is Uma Thurman (The Bride)’s first victim of her revenge. The film also has lead roles by Daryl Hannah and Chiaki Kuriyama whose characters are instantly noticeable in today’s cinema conscience.

What this film does so well is show that a major Hollywood action film does not need a full male cast with the likes of Bruce Willis owning the screen. They all own the film in their own ways and strongly show that they are powerful enough actors and characters to be able to stand on their feet without a large male cast.

I recommend this film highly in the top 10 of our archive as I think it’s an important look at modern cinemas’ view of the women’s roles within the films. They are no longer damsels in distress…