This letter is in reference to Noah Berlatsky’s article entitled “Kill Bill’s Fatal Flaw” [May 14].
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Tarantino is not pulling his punches. He never has, he never will. When Tim Roth cries and begs Harvey Keitel’s forgiveness [in Reservoir Dogs] I don’t recall anyone saying that Tarantino was forcing audiences to identify with anyone. Thurman’s outburst in the coffin is simply what it is: a badass killer tasting her own terrifying medicine. That scene occurs early on in the film for a reason. Tarantino is laughingly declaring his character “reborn” into motherhood and birth is a painful process that involves crying, right? So let’s get Thurman to cry. Jesus, I bet that’s EXACTLY how the scene was written.
I love that she wins and that she isn’t a complete antihero. She’s a hybrid of everything, which, if you think about it, is basically what all of Tarantino’s movies are about.
