Tarantino is infamous for borrowing a lot from obscure films, and _Lady Snowblood_'s influence on _Kill Bill_ is abundantly clear. However, calling one a rip-off of the other would be a bridge too far, this has its own distinct tone and directorial style. It's a very straightforward revenge story with just enough character depth to keep things interesting; a classic B-movie that's elevated by its distinct aesthetic and technical wizardry. Loved the action and editing, this filmmaker knows how long a shot needs to linger. It really helps the performances a lot, there's more subtlety here than you might expect. The combined samurai and western influence gives the visual style a very distinct personality, it really makes the set pieces (which are already well staged in their own right) memorable. I don't have any real complaints about it. Sure, it's not the most layered film ever made but unlike a lot of simple genre exercises this didn't bore me once. It pushes to emotion to some challenging places, it's creative, it's fun; watch it.


8/10