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Action Packed!
Quentin Tarantino's ode to martial arts films is for true martial arts fans. He kept it very close to the movies of the 70s, those that came out after the untimely death of Bruce Lee. At least that's as far back as I can remember. He even had the music and coming attractions themes of that era.
The one problem I had with the film was the spraying blood scenes. While it was probably done in keeping with the traditional martial arts films he was portraying, I think he should have left that relic out.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters, even those with minor roles like the master sword maker, played by the legendary Sonny Chiba. It would have been nice to see him wield a sword instead only making them.
Uma Thurman was okay as a martial artist, but I have to wonder if they took the proper amount of time training her for the action. Or perhaps it was the fight scene choreographer. I don't know but it could have been better. It could have been and should have been spectacular as a matter of fact, but sadly it wasn't.
To get a better idea of what I mean, view the 2nd Matrix picture and watch Keanu Reeves' work as a martial artist. Upon viewing his fluidity, his timing, and his flexibility, one can only imagine the work he put in to be so authentic on screen. Much of the credit goes to the fight choreographer who came up with the sequences in the first place.
To be fair to women, take a look at Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and see how well the women perform the art in that picture. My point is this: If Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang were able to do it well, there's no reason why Uma couldn't have done equally as well. Perhaps they had a very tight shooting schedule. I don't know, but to me, why bother with the fight sequences if it wasn't going to look great on screen?
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the film. But, I love Tarantino's films so I may be a bit biased in this review.
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