Summary
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are beloved movies known for their powerful quotes, action-packed scenes, and Tarantino’s signature style.
- Revenge is a central theme in the Kill Bill movies, as evidenced by the quote “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” which warns of the consequences of seeking revenge.
- The characters in Kill Bill deliver dramatic, funny, and thrilling quotes that elevate the epic revenge saga, showcasing Tarantino’s brilliant writing style.
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The best Kill Bill quotes are powerful echoes of the kung fu revenge films and spaghetti westerns that inspired Quentin Tarantino’s beloved, bloody duology. Loaded with action, tons of laughs, excessive violence, and Tarantino’s signature dialogue, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 are widely regarded as two of the eccentric director’s best movies. These movies tell the story of The Bride, the now-iconic protagonist who sliced her way toward killing the titular Bill, claiming revenge on her former crew and master.
Though the duology was short-lived, and it remains unclear whether Tarantino will make Kill Bill 3, the Kill Bill movies managed to seamlessly blend genre and styles while maintaining Tarantino’s brilliant writing style that led to many memorable lines. Along with the unstoppable Bride at the center of it all, there was a collection of standout characters in the Kill Bill movies, delivering dramatic, funny, and thrilling quotes that elevate the epic two-part revenge saga.
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20 “Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold.”
Opening Title Card – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
One of the greatest Kill Bill quotes wasn’t a Tarantino original, but one lifted straight out of the iconic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It’s hard to imagine a more fitting quote to kick off a revenge flick with, and it’s another example of Tarantino’s quirky sense of humor. The meaning of the proverb pops up several times throughout the two movies, most notably in Japan when Beatrix seeks out the legendary swordsman Hattori Hanzo.
This quote also serves as a warning to all the characters in Kill Bill.
While he builds the katana, he also bestows a few wise warnings about the nature of revenge, and what it can lead to. Essentially, this quote also serves as a warning to all the characters in Kill Bill. The entire movie is about revenge, and Beatrix doesn’t care about the people she once worked with, not even if they had a child in the house when she killed them. She went in cold and gained revenge against everyone who hurt her.
19 “Your Name Is Buck…Right?”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Controversial director Quentin Tarantino never shies away from vulgarity and brutality in his films and the Kill Bill movies are a sign of that. After awakening from a prolonged coma to realize that an orderly has been paying people to come and have sex with her after hours, she cuts his Achilles tendon before smashing his headwith a door until he’s dead.
The buildup is intense as Beatrix remembers some of the words he spoke to her while she was in a coma, then uses them back on him as the last thing he hears before she exacts her revenge on him. It is a brutal moment of vengeance and no one deserves it more than the man who used his position to sexually abuse a defenseless woman, and who has likely hurt many other women over his career at the hospital.
18 “It’s Mercy, Compassion, And Forgiveness I Lack. Not Rationality!”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
The Bride is a relentless warrior on her path of revenge, not letting any distance or threat stand in her way of making those who wronged her pay with their lives. However, she is also not a monster and shows her sympathetic side when she faces off with Vernita Green in her suburban home. After The Bride willingly calls a temporary truce when Green’s daughter returns home from school, Green admits that’s more rational than she expected from her would-be assassin.
However, in this chilling line, The Bride quickly reminds her why she is there and that the truce will not last forever. Beatrix makes it clear that she has no reason to traumatize the little girl any more than she eventually will when she kills her mother. However, Beatrix is also there for revenge and Vernita needs to know that one moment of compassion won’t save her life.
17 “It Was Not My Intention To Do This In Front Of You.”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
“For That, I’m Sorry. But You Can Take My Word For It – Your Mother Had It Comin’!”
While the Bride showed honor in stopping the fight, Green was not ready to return the favor, attempting to catch the Bride off guard and shoot her, forcing the Bride to throw a knife into her heart. When the little girl stumbled upon the bloody mess, the Bride lets her know that this is not what she wants before inviting her to take revenge when she grows up, if she so chooses.
Of the many memorable Kill Bill quotes, this is the one that actually teases a potential story for Kill Bill 3, or even a spinoff in the Kill Bill timeline. There is no way that a little girl can’t see her mother murdered and not want to seek revenge later in her life. This looked like it could be a huge storyline in the future if Vernita’s daughter came after Beatrix for her own dish of cold revenge.
16 “I Can Tell You With No Ego, This Is My Finest Sword.”
Hattori Hanzo – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
“If On Your Journey, You Should Encounter God, God Will Be Cut.”
Hattori Hanzo swore an oath to stop creating the world’s finest katana blades out of moral and philosophical principles. He realized that his prowess as a sword maker allowed others to commit murder in his name, which was something he no longer wanted to be a part of. However, when Beatrix showed up in Japan demanding one of his blades, Hanzo felt a responsibility to aid her in her quest to take out Bill.
His conflicted thoughts come through in this line where he promises a perfect blade for the Bride to use in her bloody warpath. Few Kill Bill quotes convey the movie’s reverence for the Kung Fu genre as much as this one. This is a quote that fits in perfectly with any kung fu movie and is so over the top and mythical that it sounds perfect coming from Hanzo.
15 “The Price You Pay For Bringing Up Either My Chinese Or American Heritage As A Negative Is…I Collect Your F*****’ Head.”
O-Ren Ishii – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Actress Lucy Liu played the iconic O-Ren Ishii, a woman who prided herself on being a cold, calculating yet fair leader of the famed Crazy 88, and her influence extended outwards towards the Yakuza circle she was involved in. Not everyone on the council was thrilled about having her lead, however, mostly due to her Chinese and American heritage. When one of her generals voices his displeasure, she immediately beheads him and delivers a warning to the rest.
Liu’s delivery is darkly comedic as she warmly and gently tells the men she encourages them to speak to her about their concerns, before adding one exception which comes with a brutal price if disobeyed. The eventual battle between The Bride and O-Ren Ishii is set up with this quote, as this warrior proves that she is no one that anyone should mess with.
14 “Those Of You Lucky Enough To Still Have Their Lives, Take Them With You!”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
“However, Leave The Limbs You’ve Lost! They Belong To Me, Now!”
For a display of raw killing power and bloodthirsty determination, the sequence in which the Bride takes on the Crazy 88 is perfect as she kills most of them and leaves the survivors writhing on the floor. While she surveys her bloody handiwork, she offers some choice words for those still breathing. It’s a testament to an earlier portion in the film when the Bride speaks with Vernita Green and tells her that compassion is a quality she lacks, which plays out to startling reality in this scene.
Though she is not willing to kill injured and helpless enemies, she does insist that they pay a price for standing up against her. This is also just one of the many great Kill Bill quotes around the Bride and O-Ren Ishii’s confrontation. This quote set up The Bride as someone everyone should fear.
13 “I Am Gonna’ Ask You Questions, And Every Time You Don’t Give Me Answers, I’m Gonna’ Cut Something Off.”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 1
“And I Promise You, They WILL Be Things You Will Miss!”
Getting to Bill meant sending a message in order to shake him, and the rest of her former gang. Her decimation of the Crazy 88 and the slaughter of O-Ren Ishii was certainly a sign of what she could do, but she was also looking for more information on her next targets.
The Bride takes Sofie, O-Ren’s right-hand girl who behaved just as callously towards Beatrix’s beating and apparent murder as the direct perpetrators.
Having already lost an arm to the Bride’s blade, Sofie is then questioned in a rather brutal manner. Sofie survives after being dropped off at the hospital, and while the audience doesn’t see how many answers she failed to give the Bride, the imagination of what happened to her is more disturbing. This shows how brutal The Bride is and how she is willing to do worse things than kill her enemies.
12 “One More Thing, Sofie… Is She Aware Her Daughter Is Still Alive?”
Bill – Kill Bill Vol. 1
Kill Bill being split into two movies might not have been Quentin Tarantino’s original plan, but it works surprisingly well as if it was always meant to be told in this way. This includes the shocking cliffhanger to Kill Bill Vol. 1 as Bill reveals that The Bride’s daughter is still alive following Bill’s vicious attack on her. While cliffhanger endings have become more popular in big blockbusters, this is one of the most effective uses as it shocks the audience while introducing a piece of information that changes everything for the next chapter.
The two movies tell two different stories. In the first movie, The Bride is seeking bloody vengeance on anyone who hurt her. However, the second movie sees her closing in on Bill and realizing there is so much more to this fight than just killing for revenge. The Bride has something to live for, she just doesn’t know it yet.
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11 “That Woman Deserves Her Revenge… And We Deserve To Die.”
Budd – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Bill visited his brother Budd to warn him about Beatrix’s revenge quest, certain that he’d be next on her hit list. By that time, Budd’s life had spiraled into squalor as he worked a dead-end job for an unappreciative boss. It was a far cry from his glory days as a contract killer. When Bill brought the news, Budd was defiant on the outside, yet sympathetic on the inside. Deep down he knew that their actions warranted their own deaths, a very different sentiment normally seen from the villains in revenge movies.
However, that doesn’t mean that Budd is going to accept his fate willingly. Budd fights for his life because he knows no other way. Ultimately, out of everyone who tried to kill The Bride and massacred her wedding party, Budd was the one who realized that they had done something terrible and that fate was coming for all of them.
10 “Right At This Moment, The Biggest ‘R’ I Feel Is Regret.”
Elle Driver – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
“Regret That Maybe The Greatest Warrior I Have Ever Known…Met Her End At The Hands Of A Bushwhacking, Scrub, Alchy Piece Of S*** Like You! That Woman Deserved Better.”
Elle Driver might have hated Beatrix more than anyone, but along with that hatred came a noble sense of respect for her as a warrior. She understood full well how powerful the Bride was, and that underestimating her was a mistake. None of the other Kill Bill quotes conveyed the crew’s mutual respect for one another more than Elle Driver’s final words to Budd.
It is one of the talents of Tarantino as a writer that he is able to step into these pulpy genres, like revenge movies, and populate them with layered characters who are much more interesting than what audiences might have expected. Seeing Elle talking down to Budd like this shows that she knows there are levels to the people she has worked with. The Bride is the best of the best and deserves respect. Budd was low in her view, and never deserved to share a breath with Beatrix.
9 “You Know What I Did? I Killed That Miserable Old Fool!”
Elle Driver – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
“I Poisoned His Fish Heads, And I Told Him, ‘To Me, The Word Of An Old Fool Like You Is Worth Less Than Nothing!”
Despite the respect that Elle has for the Bride, when the two face off, it is a vicious fight in which neither warrior holds back at all. To goad the Bride into anger, she reveals that she had poisoned their mutual master Pai Mei. While it did achieve the objective she wanted, Driver failed to take into account Beatrix’s skill with a blade while under the heat of rage.
It is an impactful line for the audience as well as Pai Mei was cemented as the ultimate kung fu master and to learn of his death in such a treacherous way does the job of making Elle a detestable villain. This Kill Bill quote shows that Elle might have respected Beatrix, based on her previous quotes to Budd, but she didn’t respect the art of kung fu enough not to kill a respected master by poisoning him and mocking his death to The Bride. This marked Elle’s downfall.
8 “B****, You Don’t Have A Future!”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Following Elle’s admission about the death of Pai Mei, the Bride steels herself, ready to finish her off and cross another name from her list. Elle continues to taunt her opponent, claiming she killed the Bide with her own sword that “in the very immediate future, will become my sword.” The Bride responds with this chilling threat, and they clash swords again. Despite the terrific finishing line, the Bride doesn’t actually kill Elle.
This was almost worse than death.
Instead, she simply plucked her other eye out and left her permanently blind and alone, screaming in the trailer, which suggests the future she does have left, will be an unpleasant one. This was almost worse than death. Elle is not only a merciless killer and a brilliant fighter, but she is highly arrogant and proud. Now, she has lost her sight in both eyes and that has likely ended whatever future she had in this world.
7 “I Have Only One More. The Last One; The One I’m Driving To Right Now. The Only One Left. And When I Arrive At My Destination, I Am Gonna’ Kill Bill!”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Bill probably didn’t understand the kind of monster he’d inadvertently unleashed when he took young Beatrix Kiddo under his wing and taught her the killing arts. He opened her up to a whole new world of adventure, excitement, and danger the likes of which she didn’t know were possible. It all came crashing to a halt the moment he decided to have her killed at her own wedding. “The Bride” survived, and kicked off a campaign of bloody revenge that stopped right at Bill’s doorstep.
Beatrix wouldn’t let up, give up, or reconcile, making this promise directly to the audience. This quote was one of the best in the entire movie because it was the Bride explaining what this plot is all about. She is going to kill everyone who hurt her and the last person on her list is the one who called the shots, Bill. Beatrix is going to kill this man, and nothing will stop her.
6 “And That Was When I Learned That Some Things, Once You Do, Can Never Be Undone.”
Bill – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Having their daughter BB around when they reunite allows The Bride and Bill to address their dark history without the violence kicking off immediately. This makes for a strangely honest conversation in which Bill tells BB what he did to her mother. It also allows Bill a moment of vulnerability as he admits to the regret he feels over his actions. However, it also mirrors The Bride’s own determination as she is a living embodiment of the inevitable consequences of those actions.
This entire moment is Bill’s way of delaying things as he figures out how he can save himself. The Bride already killed all his assassins, and he knows that the chances of his death is high. However, this causes him to bring in the one thing that might save his life. By giving Beatrix her daughter, he delivers the one thing that could tame this killing machine. It doesn’t work, but it is a smart ploy.
5 “You Overreacted?”
The Bride – Kill Bill Vol. 1
The Kill Bill timeline is able to show the audience the moment Bill found The Bride and the conversation they shared before he attempted to have her killed. However, the flashback doesn’t give any real hint to his motivations. That explanation comes when The Bride finally tracks Bill down. Though he has been seen as a calculating and intelligent killer who seems to be in control of every moment, the truth behind Bill’s murderous rage is revealed to be a rare lapse in judgment for him.
The fact that he admits to overreacting puts the entire bloody affair into a new perspective. This is an almost absurd moment in the movie. Bill “overreacted” and killed the Bride’s entire wedding party, the love of her life, left her for dead, buried alive, and took her baby after the fact. That is a lot for an overreaction and Beatrix’s response to it is perfect.
4 “Clark Kent Is Superman’s Critique On The Whole Human Race.”
Bill – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Bill speaks these words as he delivers a classic Quentin Tarantino monologue about how Superman is unique because he is the only one out of the bunch who actually pretends to be normal. It’s a powerful speech that serves a great purpose, with a poignant truth attached to it. His effort was to convince Beatrix that she was always a killer, deep down inside her soul, rather than one he created.
Under duress, the Bride was forced to admit that he was right, even though the circumstances of her pregnancy changed everything for her. This is one of those Kill Bill quotes that seem regular on the surface, but is actually profound once taken into context. Beatrix wants to pretend she is normal and raise her daughter, and Bill is correct about that. However, this quote also pushes Beatrix to understand there is no turning back and Bill has to die to finish things.
3 “You And I Have Unfinished Business!”
The Bride – Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Like her confrontation with Vernita Green, the Bride and Bill putting aside their deadly confrontation is only temporary. During those happier and peaceful moments when the strange family is together again, there is the lingering threat and promise that they will still need to settle things. The moment comes as the Bride reminds Bill of their “unfinished business,” and another sign of the brilliance of Tarantino as a writer, the audience is left feeling conflicted.
This is the moment the movie has built towards and the chance for the Bride to get her much-deserved justice, but there is also a sense that she could walk away and be happy. In the end, it is unfinished business, and she will see it done whether she wants to or not. The Bride has a chance at happiness, but this movie does not have a happy ending; it has a violent one.
2 “You Look Ready.”
The Bride – Kill Bill Vol. 2
The title might give away the movie’s ending, but just how Bill is killed actually is a bit of a surprise for audiences. The reunion between Bill and The Bride is not the bloody battle audiences were expecting, as these two share moments of warmth before coming down to the inevitable moment where The Bride gets her vengeance and Bill pays for his treachery. After administering the final blow, Bill accepts his fate and asks how he looks.
The Bride’s response suggests sadness in the moment, but also the feeling that he did this to himself. Bill and Beatrix have a long relationship and there is some love there. At the same time, what Bill did to her was unforgivable and he deserved his final moment. The fact that Beatrix had this small comment shows that she has some remorse and sadness now that her mission has been completed.
1 “The Lioness Has Rejoined Her Cub And All Is Right In The Jungle.”
Final Title Card
Kill Bill may be a violent and over-the-top revenge action movie, but it also makes for one of the quieter Quentin Tarantino endings out of his entire filmography. After completing her goal of killing Bill as well as having the unexpected reunion with her daughter, The Bride is conflicted and even cries about what she has done. But the movie ends with her cuddling with her daughter with his text appearing on the screen.
But being reunited his her “cub” suggests she will finally have peace.
It is appropriate to compare The Bride to a lion in this scenario as she was almost animalistic in her hunt. But being reunited his her “cub” suggests she will finally have peace. It also pays homage to Tarantino’s love of kung fu movies, as it mentions the cub, hinting at Lone Wolf and Cub, but Beatrix is not a Lone Wolf, but a Lioness and it is time for her to care for her cub, and get her happily ever after ending.
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Kill Bill
RQuentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill is a classic tale of betrayal and revenge. When the Bride (Uma Thurman) awakens from a four-year coma, she sets out to settle the score with the team of assassins that betrayed her at the behest of her former boss, Bill (David Carradine). Tracking and killing the world-class assassins isn’t easy, but the Bride uses all the tools at her disposal in her relentless pursuit of revenge.
Director Quentin Tarantino Release Date October 10, 2003 Cast David Carradine , Michael Madsen , Uma Thurman , Daryl Hannah , Lucy Liu , Vivica A. Fox Runtime 111 minutes
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Kill Bill: Vol. 2
RDirector Quentin Tarantino Release Date April 16, 2004 Cast Uma Thurman , David Carradine , Michael Madsen , Daryl Hannah , Vivica A. Fox , Ambrosia Kelley , Michael Parks , James Parks Runtime 137 Minutes
