It’s another strong-woman movie. Uma Thurman shows quite a range in this one, much more than in “Pulp Fiction.” The other thing borrowed from PF was the screwy timeline, but who cares about the timeline?
So many good lines and memorable scenes make this a very rewatchable movie. The action is not nonstop, but the story moves along enough to keep you interested. I wish the Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama) fight was longer and the Deadly 88 only 22. Production I.G.’s anime is very “Ninja Scroll” with the blood spray. It’s unfortunate the other assassins are not developed to the same extent as O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu.)
O-Ren Ishii
One thing that struck me the first time I saw KB was the brutality of the sword fights. You really gain respect for the power of the steel. Usually in Hong Kong movies, the fighters only manage to nick each other or chop a head off. In KB, you get to see the blade slice limbs and penetrate bodies. Why they are afraid to show bullets penetrating in U.S. movies is baffling. The anime comes close.
Although the sword fights are not on the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” level, the quantity makes up for it.
Unfortunately, KB2 is nothing like the original.
This is the one that made my upstairs neighbors jump on my ceiling. Guns, guns and more guns + subwoofer = lots of noise. If you thought the soundtrack from "Resident Evil" could not be topped, you were wrong.
Kate Beckinsale
But enough about audio, let's talk about Kate Beckinsale. OK, so she's no Jennifer Garner, but she is an awesome heroine.
There is a minor revenge/ romance theme in "Underworld," but
the rest reaches the level of Asian-like drama. The bad and good
guys have serious depth and unpredictability. Sorry Hollywood.
You definitely will watch this again and again.
Don't forget to turn up the subwoofer. The sequel, "Underworld:
Evolution" is not as good, but you'll like if you are a fan of
the first movie.
