Editorials
How The Extended Anime Sequence In ‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’ Points To Tarantino’s Future
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair includes never-before-seen anime footage that chronicles an important part of O-ren Ishii’s past that could also present the path to Tarantino’s future.
Quentin Tarantino is a filmmaker whose works have always been passionate love letters to not just cinema but a wide range of pop culture touchstones, references, and vibes. Kill Bill represents a major creative turning point for Tarantino, where he seriously ups his game and essentially transforms himself into a brilliant action filmmaker by brute force. Kill Bill can very cleanly be cut into two separate films, which in many ways strengthen each volume’s respective material.
That being said, the Bride’s (Uma Thurman) roaring rampage of revenge was initially meant to be contained in a single film. It wasn’t until July 2003, three months before the film’s October release, that it was announced that Kill Bill would be split into two separate films, released six months apart. Kill Bill’s story and characters can breathe better in two separate volumes, yet murmurs of a four-hour-plus singular film would occasionally come forward.
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair had its official release at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and then popped up at Tarantino’s own New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. Nevertheless, The Whole Bloody Affair gained an apocryphal status, not unlike The Bride’s own notorious reputation within Kill Bill’s universe. Bootlegs and fan-made edits that attempt to emulate The Whole Bloody Affair as accurately as possible have attempted to sate curious fans. Now, more than two decades after Kill Bill’s original release, a proper theatrical push has become a reality.
The new release reconciles the two halves of this cinematic saga and presents them as originally intended. On a structural level, The Whole Bloody Affair is a satisfying experience. However, its never-before-seen anime sequence – an extension of O-Ren Ishii’s (Lucy Liu) own revenge saga – steals the show in more ways than one. This new sequence provides fascinating insight into the future of Tarantino’s career and a viable path forward that circumvents his self-imposed “Ten Film Rule.”
Part of what makes Kill Bill such an immersive cinematic experience is how it plays around with so many different storytelling devices and presentation styles. It inundates its audience with so many stylistic flourishes that an anime detour in Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren is just par for the course. This anime sequence, produced by Production I.G and directed by Kazuto Nakazawa (Tenchi Muyo!, Parasite Dolls), chronicles O-Ren’s tragic past and the circumstances that led to her evolution into an expert assassin and power player in Japan’s criminal underworld. The original anime sequence spends a lot of time in O-Ren’s prepubescent years, jumping from a massacre when she’s 11 to a violent rebirth at 20.
The Whole Bloody Affair covers an extra O-Ren altercation when the budding killer is 13 years old. This extensive sequence puts O-Ren up against Pretty Riki, a criminal who ultimately gets the last laugh. O-Ren’s attack on Pretty Riki in The Whole Bloody Affair manages to top the ultra-violent heights of the rest of the anime sequence. This new wrinkle in O-Ren’s past is also genuinely suspenseful and full of clever subversions. A simple hit continues to spiral out of control and grow infinitely more precarious, yet O-Ren remains steadfast with her goal. The majority of this sequence plays out in an elevator, and it instantly becomes one of the strongest cinematic elevator sequences that comes to mind, trumping the likes of Dressed to Kill, The Departed, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Damien: The Omen II.
A rather fascinating detail that seems to exist between “classic Tarantino” and “nu Tarantino” is the latter’s interest in engaging in gonzo revisionist history, whether that’s Hitler’s grisly execution or the prevention of Sharon Tate’s murder. Kill Bill is very much the inflection point between these two phases of Tarantino’s career. O-Ren’s expanded anime backstory wasn’t constructed under the same rubric. However, this new sequence retroactively fulfills the agenda of the second half of Tarantino’s career. The new Pretty Riki scene doesn’t prevent O-Ren’s death at the hands of The Bride. What it does do is turn O-Ren into a more sympathetic character that the audience almost wants to root for by the time that her showdown with The Bride comes to pass.
This expanded anime scene and how it recontextualizes O-Ren’s plight make The Whole Bloody Affair an even more appropriate demarcation line in Tarantino’s career than what was accomplished with Vols. 1 and 2 as separate films. This segment makes O-Ren’s death more tragic and even turns her into more of the centerpiece of the film’s first half, fully embracing the Lady Snowblood influence. The Whole Bloody Affair’s lengthier anime sequence turns it into even more of a centerpiece that’s more substantial and better justified, especially in a longer movie that has more room.
On some level, it’s easy to see why this lengthy scene was cut. The audience can fill in the gaps, especially since the end of O-Ren’s story is still detailed. However, O-Ren’s fight against Pretty Riki is far stronger than the additional sequences that follow, where O-Ren is 20 years old. As a collective piece, it really makes “The Origin of O-Ren“ feel like an anime epic that can stand on its own, independent of the rest of the film.
O-Ren’s anime backstory was already evocative of mature anime titles like Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, and Kite, the latter of which was actually required viewing for Chiaki Kuriyama in order to better get into Gogo Yubari’s mindset. These reference points, especially Kite, are even more apparent in 13-year-old O-Ren’s attack on Pretty Riki. 13-year-old O-Ren’s character design seems to even explicitly reference Kite’s young assassin, Sawa.
Kite’s influence on the third chapter feels more natural when it’s explicitly referenced and not just part of a performer’s subtext. There are also several shots, sequences, and reactions that are direct references to some of Production I.G’s most iconic works. This could feel clunky and shallow in less adept works, but this extended anime sequence’s ability to lovingly pay homage to not just Production I.G, but anime as a whole, meshes with the rest of Kill Bill’s magpie-like tendency to pastiche pop culture.
What’s perhaps the most exciting thing about the extended anime sequence is how it points to a potential future for Tarantino that allows him to skirt his pesky self-imposed rule to only direct ten feature films. Tarantino taking on a full anime series, a series of OVAs, or even an anthology effort in the style of The Animatrix would allow for rewarding storytelling opportunities while not breaking his own rules. This pivot may have been seen as a step backwards for Tarantino in the past, but anime’s reputation has completely changed in the two decades since Kill Bill’s release.
There are increasing cases where acclaimed live-action filmmakers like Takashi Miike and Chad Stalhelski have opted to direct anime. Any such stigma is now gone, and Tarantino has also grown more fascinated in recontextualizing his film properties in different media, whether it’s his novelization of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Django/Zorro comic crossover, or his serialized and re-edited The Hateful Eight: Extended Version. It makes more sense than ever for Tarantino to embrace anime in a more substantial capacity.
The prospect of a Kill Bill anime may have previously seemed like a poor substitute for a live-action third installment. However, Tarantino’s reputation with Kill Bill has clearly changed after using the Unreal Engine to bring to life an unfilmed sequence from his original Kill Bill script. In a world in which “Yuki’s Revenge” can exist in Fortnite, there’s no reason that Kill Bill can’t live on as an anime. Expressing future Kill Bill stories in this style wouldn’t need to be viewed as any sort of compromise, and Production I.G is now up to the challenge even more than they were back when they did the original anime sequence.
While there may be a natural temptation to deliver a hypothetical Kill Bill Vol. 3 as an anime, Tarantino has already created a rich universe that can easily sustain new stories that pull from its past instead of looking to the future. A full O-Ren Ishii anime would be a popular project, but there’s also a lot of value in an anime that adopts more of an anthology approach to Kill Bill’s eclectic cast and history, whether that digs into the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, Pai Mei, or Bill’s relationship with his brother, Budd.
Tarantino recently spoke about how revisiting The Whole Bloody Affair has sparked the idea of telling a new Bill story that looks at his relationship with his “three godfathers” – Esteban Vihaio, Hattori Hanzo, and Pai Mei. This is a story that would be perfect to bring to life as an anime. Such an anime could also be used to bring more unfilmed Kill Bill material into existence, like what was done with “Yuki’s Revenge.” One of the best parts of Tarantino’s original Kill Bill script is a Bill-centric chapter, “Can She Bake A Cherry Pie…,” that unleashes his skills at an illegal casino. Some of Tarantino’s strongest writing has been lost in this unfilmed chapter, which could finally be appreciated in a Kill Bill anime anthology.
Alternatively, Tarantino could go one step further and use anime as the conduit for a broader anthology that tackles the entire breadth of his filmography. Such a series could include plenty of Kill Bill representation, but also become a venue for Tarantino to complete more of his unfinished projects, like “Vega Brothers,” “Killer Crow,” or even the Django and Zorro crossover. Tarantino’s films being reborn as anime isn’t even an idea that seems that odd during a time when anime for Lord of the Rings, Scooby-Doo, Terminator, and Rick and Morty exist. Tarantino has also shown enough respect and admiration for anime that it’s not hard to imagine him creating a totally original story that’s been specifically modulated to be told in anime. This new narrative could function as a tribute to anime in the same way that his other projects are pastiches of their respective genres.
The long-awaited release of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair provides closure for a fringe project that fans have wanted to see for decades. The film’s most exciting new addition, and the warm reception that it’s receiving, will hopefully rekindle a reunion between Tarantino and Production I.G. O-Ren Ishii’s assault on Pretty Riki deserves to be the start of something bigger and not just the swan song of a part of Tarantino’s past.
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair releases exclusively in theaters on December 5.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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