A woman wakes up after four years and looks for the people who hurt her — one by one. And the film borrows from real old movies.
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These are the new words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = D (revenge) · 2 = G (an enemy) · 3 = H (a sword) · 4 = E (a fight)
5 = F (a promise) · 6 = A (a secret) · 7 = B (dangerous) · 8 = C (to escape)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Volume 2 (2004) by Quentin Tarantino, told here as one story. Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one. (There are spoilers — that is fine, we want to talk about it.)
The Bride was once part of a team of assassins. Her boss was a man called Bill. She loved Bill, and she was going to have his baby. She wanted a normal life, so she left the team and moved to Texas. She found a new man to marry.
But on the day of her wedding rehearsal, Bill and the old team came to the church. They killed everyone there. Bill shot the Bride in the head.
The Bride did not die. But she slept for four years — a coma. When she woke up, she was very angry. She made a list of everyone who was there that day. She wanted revenge on all of them, one by one — and finally, on Bill.
1. Why did the Bride leave her old team and move to Texas?
2. What happened on the day of her wedding rehearsal?
1. She loved Bill and was going to have his baby, and she wanted a normal, peaceful life instead of being an assassin.
2. Bill and her old team came to the church, killed everyone there, and Bill shot her in the head.
First, the Bride finds a man called Hattori Hanzo. He is very old, and he does not make swords any more. But when he hears her story, he makes her a special sword.
The Bride finds the people on her list, one by one. First is Vernita, who now has a normal family. Next is O-Ren, the leader of a dangerous group in Tokyo. The Bride fights many men to reach her, then fights O-Ren alone in the snow.
Not everything goes well. One man, Budd, catches the Bride and buries her — under the ground! She escapes. She remembers hard training with a cruel old teacher, Pai Mei. Then she finds Elle, the last person on her list, except for Bill.
1. Who is Hattori Hanzo, and what does he make for the Bride?
2. Name two people on the Bride's list.
1. An old man who used to make swords but stopped; he makes a special sword for the Bride when he hears her story.
2. Vernita, who has a normal family now, and O-Ren, the leader of a dangerous group in Tokyo — both are on her list.
Finally, the Bride arrives at Bill's house. She finds something amazing: her baby daughter is alive! Bill has been looking after her for four years.
Bill and the Bride talk for a long time. He tells her why he did these terrible things — he was jealous, and he did not want to lose her.
In the end, the Bride kills Bill with a secret technique that Pai Mei taught her. The film finishes with the Bride and her daughter driving away together, to start a new, happy life.
1. What does the Bride discover when she arrives at Bill's house?
2. How does the film end?
1. Her daughter is alive — Bill has secretly been raising her for four years.
2. The Bride kills Bill, and then she and her daughter drive away to start a new life together.
This story is full of amounts — how many people, how much time, how much danger. English has some easy words for this.
Complete the sentences.
1. She had money, but not much.
2. She didn't have friends left from her old life.
3. Did she get help from Hattori Hanzo?
1. some (positive sentence)
2. any (negative sentence)
3. any (question)
Complete the sentences.
1. She didn't waste time.
2. years had passed since the wedding.
3. How people were on her list?
1. much (uncountable — time)
2. Many (countable — years)
3. many (countable — people)
Fill each gap with some, any, a lot of or much. Read it aloud when you finish.
The Bride had enemies from her old life. She didn't have time to lose, so she made a plan. She didn't ask questions — she just acted. In the end, she found information that helped her.
a lot of · much · any · some
Use some in positive sentences, any in negatives and questions, and a lot of / much / many for bigger amounts.
Here is something surprising: Kill Bill is not really one new story. It borrows from many old films, music and even real history.
Kill Bill copies the style of old Hong Kong kung-fu films and Japanese samurai films. The actor Gordon Liu, a star of old kung-fu films, plays two different characters in Kill Bill! The Bride's yellow suit comes from Bruce Lee, a famous martial arts actor, and his last film. The music in Kill Bill comes from old Italian western films, by a composer called Ennio Morricone. One part of the film is even a real Japanese cartoon (anime), made by a famous animation company.
In the film, Hattori Hanzo is the old sword-maker. His name comes from a real person! Hattori Hanzō was a real samurai who lived about 500 years ago, from 1542 to 1596. He helped a powerful leader called Tokugawa Ieyasu escape danger. Later, people told stories about him, and he became famous as a "ninja." But the sword in the film is not real — Tarantino invented that part.
Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of Kill Bill in your own words. Use these steps to help you: a wedding and a coma → finding a special sword → finding people on the list, one by one → being buried alive and training with Pai Mei → finding Bill and her daughter.
Try to use some key words (revenge, enemy, sword, fight, promise, secret, dangerous, escape) and some / any / many / much.
The Bride wants revenge on everyone who hurt her. Do you think revenge is ever right? What would you do if you were her?
Kill Bill copies a lot of old films. Is copying old ideas a bad thing, or can it make something new and good?
Not sure what to say? Choose one: