Will Sorg

Kill Bill is a duology made as an ode to film. They are love letters to East Asian 1970s action films, to American westerns, to cinema itself. But for a pair of films so filled with love, they are, ironically, a tale of violence, betrayal and revenge.
The Bride, played by Uma Thurman, is a former member of The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. At the very beginning of the story her wedding is interrupted by her former employers, a group of assassins. Her entire wedding party is slaughtered and she is shot in the head by her former boss, Bill. Four years later she awakens from a coma and begins a quest of revenge, vowing to kill all five of the assassins who destroyed her life. She travels worldwide, traversing Japan, the American Southwest, China and Mexico with one goal in mind: to kill Bill.
Endless praises have been given to the screenplay and direction of these films, which are undoubtedly some of famed writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s best films. That praise is more than justified, as the script and
direction are both finely tuned to his specific blend of over-the-top violence and masterfully executed storytelling. He is able to take a story of revenge, one
that’s been told thousands of times, and yet tell it in such a profoundly
compelling manner. The ever-entertaining cast of actors do a fantastic job bringing their characters to life; David Carradine plays the villainous yet charming Bill wonderfully, but Uma Thurman is easily the standout actor in the film. Thurman’s ability to play a genuinely capable female protagonist with agency and personality while also portraying heartbreaking vulnerability is phenomenal. Kill Bill is such a dynamic, ever-changing duology that it almost feels like magic that the movies are as good as they are.
I believe that a big part of that magic is thanks to Tarantino’s greatest collaborator, editor Sally Menke. Sally Menke, who died in 2010 was one of the best editors of her time. During her life she worked almost exclusively with Tarantino, editing the first seven of his films. Her work on Kill Bill is electric to say the least. The films have a perfect pace. Menke cuts scenes in an energized, bombastic rhythm that fills the movies with such life and personality. She knows when to make the films campy, fast paced, and grippingly tense, and when to allow moments of emotional resonance to breathe. She put her heart and soul into the editing of these films and the movies would not be the same without her. Oftentimes it is said that the best editing is the kind where the audience doesn’t even notice it’s there. But Sally Menke always made the audience notice, and once you do, it is practically impossible to unsee her genius.