The closing half of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill opus, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 picks up The Bride's story as she continues her mission of revenge. Vol. 2 is very much a different film from the first instalment; where Vol. 1 concentrated mostly on the Japanese samurai sword sequences and influences (and was necessarily graphically violent), Vol. 2 references mostly Chinese kung fu films and Italian westerns. If you felt that the dialogue in Kill Bill Vol. 1 lacked some of the usual Tarantino spark then you should be pleasantly surprised by Vol. 2 - in that sense it's more like his earlier films, which were particularly known for their sharp dialog. There are also a large number of fully formed, idiosyncratic characters with only minor or fleeting appearances (Samuel L Jackson cameos as one of the most interesting of these).

The remaining three targets on The Bride's list each add something quite different to the film. Bill's brother Budd (Madsen) is almost repentant, and we do feel almost sorry for him; Elle Driver (Hannah) is cold, brutal and remorseless, a perfect nemesis for The Bride (Thurman); and Bill himself (Carradine) manages to dominate the film through scattered appearances until the final act.

The film does open with a short review of the first volume, narrated by The Bride, but if you haven't seen Kill Bill Volume 1 yet then it's definitely worth renting it before you come to see Volume 2.