2004, R, ?? minutes

Quentin Tarantino outdoes himself with Kill Bill Vol. 2. By adding more character development in this second installment, the brilliant auteur creates a film that is thrilling like the first, but one that is also emotionally involving and dramatically satisfying. Alone, the two films are fantastic. Together, they add up to a true classic.

Vol. 2 picks up where Vol. 1 ended, sort of. Tarantino brings us back to that El Paso wedding chapel and shows the peaceful final minutes before the massacre. This sequence is shot in gorgeous black and white by cinematographer Robert Richardson, and the knowledge of the impending bloodbath creates a real sense of dread.

Needless to say, The Bride (Uma Thurman) is still hell-bent on revenge. Number three on her Death List Five is Budd (Michael Madsen), currently employed as a bouncer in a strip club and living in a trailer out in the California desert. Budd, a casually vicious type, has received warning from Bill (David Carradine) about The Bride's impending attack. So her ambush of Budd's trailer doesn't go so well for her. Budd has a grudge, you see, and he proves to be a formidable opponent, incapacitating her. The following sequence is harrowing, and provides a true test of The Bride's survival skills.

A flashback shows The Bride's first meeting with her master Pei Mei (a scene-stealing Gordon Liu). He's old, wise, and very tough, and we see The Bride's transformation from naïve young girl to self-possessed warrior. This sequence is fun to watch, shot on grainy film stock (with lots of fast zooms) to emulate old kung fu movies.

Before long, Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) shows up to do business with Budd. Seen briefly in Vol. 1, the one-eyed Elle is one tough customer, and she's yet another challenge to the beleaguered Bride. The resulting catfight between the two women is wild, violent, and hilarious, exploring the logistical problems with having a swordfight in a trailer.

The Bride's confrontations with Budd and Elle don't end the way one might expect, which keeps the film alive with suspense and surprises. Inevitably, though, it all comes down to The Bride vs. Bill. Will she finally kill Bill? Will she be reunited with the daughter she didn't know survived the shooting? And what is The Bride's real name, anyway?

All questions are answered in this thrilling and completely satisfying conclusion. Vol. 2 isn't the nonstop action extravaganza that Vol. 1 proved to be, which is perfectly fine. Tarantino allows time here for character development, which ultimately gives the audience a fuller emotional investment in The Bride's bloody quest. Bill is a talkative guy, so Tarantino's trademark brand of smart dialogue comes back into play in this film.

In addition, Kill Bill is a brilliantly acted movie. Thurman creates a character that isn't just a killing machine. The Bride has vulnerabilities just like anyone else. Thanks to Thurman, we feel this woman's loss and anger, and we're rooting for this potentially unsympathetic character. Carradine proves to be yet another genius piece of casting by Tarantino. Bill is a relatively mellow guy (he enjoys playing the flute, for example), but he's marked by a homicidal temper that simmers just below the surface. Carradine hits all the right notes of the complicated man. Madsen is appropriately menacing as Budd, and Hannah is deliciously evil as the one-eyed psycho who got the wrong woman mad.

The questionable decision to split Kill Bill into two movies is now a moot point. Quentin Tarantino has created a nearly four-hour pair of films that is exciting, always compelling, and even occasionally touching. Vol. 2 adds an emotional payoff to the action and extreme violence of Vol. 1. The only question that remains now is, when will the sure-to-be-deluxe DVD of the two films be available?