Quentin Tarantino's homage to Hong-Kong grind house films, Kill Bill Vol. 1, is a relentlessly violent and absolutely brilliant piece of work. Channeling such influences as Yakuza, 70's samurai, spaghetti western, Brian De Palma, and kung-fu films, Kill Bill once again showcases Tarantino's love of classic cinema and he establishes himself as one of the best action directors working today.

       Based upon an idea developed in collaboration with Uma Thurman while working together on Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill tells the story of The Bride, former assassin with the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad whose colleagues turn on her when she attempts to go straight. Left for dead, The Bride awakes from a 4-year coma and embarks on a quest to exact revenge on those who hurt her and killed her baby.

       Stylistically, the film looks phenomenal. Tarantino draws on a variety of techniques from classic films to give each scene a unique look – sometimes using several different techniques within one scene. For example, the showdown with O-Ren Ishii in the House of Blue Leaves begins in color, moves to black and white, back to color for a scene staged in silhouette, and finally ending in a night battle amidst softly falling snow. In another scene, O-Ren Ishii's back-story is told in beautifully drawn Japanese anime'. Half the fun of watching this film is in identifying the cornucopia of influences that Tarantino has incorporated into it.

       QT also infuses his film with an eclectic mix of music, including everything from Japanese surf punk (performed live in the film by the Japanese girl-band The 5,6,7,8's) to 70's porn film 'bowmp-da-bowmp', soaring operatic to kabuki, pan flute to 70's television theme and everything in between. Tarantino's use of music to emphasize or bring out elements of a scene is pure genius.

       Kill Bill, Vol. 1 comes to DVD in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound that brings every bone crushing punch and gristle slicing sweep of The Bride's Hazano steel sword to glorious life. Surprisingly, bonus features are limited to a making-of featurette showcasing interviews with QT, Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica Fox, and Julie Dreyfus but offers little in the way of anything interesting, and a video featuring The 5,6,7,8's performing a pair of songs from the film.

Kill Bill, Vol. 1 is a stellar achievement, probably not for everyone, but not to be missed by those who appreciate fine filmmaking.