This is so much better than volume one. The "Bride" (Uma Thurman) is continuing her quest to avenge herself on the killer of her fiancée and unborn child, but unlike with the first outing we do not face more endless ensemble fight scenes. This is much more focussed and individual. Her encounter with "Sidewinder" (Michael Madsen) tests her mettle - and her panic control in a frighteningly claustrophobic manner - before the eyepatch sporting Daryl Hannah ("Elle") offers probably her finest on-screen performance as together they manage to demolish a motor home using samurai swords and their body weight. We learn more about how she learned her ninja skills under the guise of the curmudgeonly swordsmith and master of all things cerebral "Hattori Hanzo" (Sonny Chiba) and all of this builds up to a quirky denouement with her nemesis - the eponymous "Bill" (David Carradine) who reminded me throughout of his days as "Grasshopper" in "Kung Fu". It flies along, this film, with bags of one-to-one action, humour, a decent soundtrack and some interesting historical and cultural undertones that help ground the film more effectively. In my view it is easily the best role Thurman has had to play, and this second outing gives her far more scope to shine as an actor. The writing isn't great - especially towards the end, but that doesn't matter as the escapades, action and strong characters more than compensate for that. My favourite Tarantino film - easily.
