Is 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' really 4+ hours long? The revived Tarantino cut promises pure carnage
If there's anyone who has raised the aesthetic appeal of gory violence to a near fever pitch, it is none other than Quentin Tarantino! The highly successful filmmaker is often referred to as Hollywood's 'DJ director', owing to his blending of influences as diverse as pulp novels, Japanese manga, and classic Westerns. Although the first and second volumes of 'Kill Bill' were released six months apart from each other in 2003 and 2004, respectively, the Academy Award-winning director has always looked upon the two as one single unit. Now, audiences have the privilege to watch 'Kill Bill' in all its glory as a single film again, as 'The Whole Bloody Affair' hits theatres.
World of Reel has confirmed that the duration of 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' is 281 minutes, or four hours and forty-one minutes. Tarantino had previously screened both 'Kill Bill Vol. 1' and 'Kill Bill Vol. 2' with a fifteen-minute intermission at his New Beverly Cinema. However, that version ran up to 248 minutes in duration. The mammoth run-time of the latest version of the film is necessitated by the fact that several unseen pieces of footage and other bits and pieces have been stacked onto the original runtime, making it one of the longest movies to be released theatrically in recent times.
'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' has done away with concerns for censor ratings. It brings together several pieces of footage that Tarantino previously had to cut to secure an R rating. As per a report by Slate, the familiar fade to black and white transitions while Beatrix chops down gangsters with her Hattori Hanzo sword have been done away with. Another animated sequence illustrating the origin story of O-ren Ishii, played by Lucy Liu, has been restored to its original, envisioned length. This means that Ishii would be seen hunting down all three mob assassins who were responsible for the death of her parents.
As per Collider, Lionsgate has partnered up to facilitate the release of 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair', and in a recently released statement from their president of worldwide distribution, Kevin Grayson, they announced, "It's always a fantastic experience to work with Quentin, but to see him light up as we bring this film to audiences—especially through select 70mm and 35mm screenings—has been something truly special. We were honored to present the movie exactly as he intended, and the strong audience demand across the country has exceeded our expectations. I'm incredibly proud that our nimble and resourceful team at Lionsgate was able to respond to meet that demand."
The greatest draw of 'Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair' is undoubtedly Uma Thurman and her performance as the Bride or Beatrix. The unified film gives her a vast and comprehensive canvas against which one of her best performances to date plays out in all its magnanimity. Tickets for the movie are already selling out across theaters. Reports hint that the film will be screened across almost 1,200 theatres across the country, both in 75 mm and 35 mm projection formats.
