FILM · 2004 · USA
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
- Directed by
- Quentin Tarantino
- Runtime
- 136 min
- Studio
- Super Cool ManChu, Miramax, A Band Apart
131 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
The Bride unwaveringly continues on her roaring rampage of revenge against the band of assassins who had tried to kill her and her unborn child. She visits each of her former associates one-by-one, checking off the victims on her Death List Five until there's nothing left to do … but kill Bill.
131 Interesting Facts About Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Interesting Facts (28)
- #001
Quentin Tarantino originally intended to only have Pai Mei's lips speaking Cantonese, while his voice would be in English, imitating a bad dub job. Tarantino was going to provide the voice himself. In the end, Tarantino abandoned this idea, and Pai Mei (Chia-Hui Liu) speaks in his own voice.
- #002
- #003
The story Esteban Vihaio (Michael Parks) tells about Bill (David Carradine) in the movie theater sucking his thumb is a story Kurt Russell told Quentin Tarantino. Kurt did the same thing at a drive-in theater when he was a boy when he saw Marilyn Monroe on screen.
- #004
- #005
According to The Kill Bill Diary written by David Carradine, the movie that The Bride and her daughter would watch was originally going to be Disney's The Aristocats (1970). When Disney wouldn't allow it, Quentin decided to have them watch an episode of the cartoon Samurai Jack (2001). However, the film heard in the final cut is Shogun Assassin (1980).
- #006
- #007
The brand of cigarettes smoked in this film in American Spirits, as seen in close-ups by the eagle logo below the filter. However, a pack of Red Apples, Quentin Tarantino's signature brand of fake cigarettes, can clearly be seen on the table when The Bride meets with Esteban (Michael Parks).
- #008
- #009
Once Budd (Michael Madsen) is bitten by Elle's (Daryl Hannah's) Black Mamba, the camera angle is through his eyes at Elle looking down at him.
- #010
- #011
The car seen behind Bill when he visits Budd at his trailer is a Mangusta, an Italian sports car put into limited production by De Tomaso. Later De Tomaso developed a related vehicle, the Pantera, which was sold through Lincoln-Mercury dealerships in the late 1960s. Because of its speed, agility, timing, and thick coat, the mangusta (Italian for mongoose) is the only animal capable of killing a cobra in a straight fight.
- #012
- #013
- #014
- #015
"Beatrix" and "Bill" both start with the letter "B", hence the naming of their daughter "B.B." There are also other "B.B." references. For example, the opening song "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra, also when Beatrix sees B.B. and Bill for the first time, B.B. points a toy water pistol and yells "Bang! Bang!"
- #016
- #017
- #018
- #019
- #020
Esteban Vihaio mentions to The Bride about following the "road to Salinas" to track down Bill. James Dean was driving on the road to Salinas on September 30, 1955 when another driver swerved onto the highway, resulting in the crash that ended Dean's life. However, Esteban actually said "Salina", not "Salinas", as in the aforementioned Road to Salina (1970).
- #021
When Bill is dropping Kiddo off at the foot of the temple steps to begin her training, she has a dark blue hoodie on her forearms and down her back. He hands her heavy bags which she slings across her shoulders. When she asks him when she'll see him again, the hoodie is up on her right shoulder under the strap of one of the heavy bags. Next time we see her, about 3 seconds later, the hoodie is down off that shoulder again although the bag's strap is still in place, and now the hoodie is up on her formerly bare left shoulder. After Bill tells her not to backtalk her new teacher, the hoodie is back on her right shoulder under the strap. As Bill begins to drive away, her hoodie is now up on both her shoulders under bag straps.
- #022
- #023
- #024
- #025
- #026
- #027
- #028
Contains a major spoiler — show
Pai Mei is believed never to have taught the five point palm exploding heart technique to any of his students. However, in their climactic fight, Beatrix uses the technique to kill Bill. This might suggest that Beatrix had asked "very" nicely to learn it. Yet when the dying Bill asks Beatrix why Pai Mei taught her the technique, she hesitates before tearfully answering, "I don't know." Even now, she wants to spare Bill's feelings.
Production Story (25)
- #029
- #030
Julie Dreyfus suggested two popular pieces of music for the movie. The first one being "The Chase", where Elle drives to Budd's trailer, the second one being "The Sunny Road To Salina", where The Bride walks through the desert to Budd's trailer. Julie's father is a record producer, who owns the rights to the soundtrack of The Road to Salina (1970), from where the pieces of music come.
- #031
- #032
- #033
The chapter "Yuki's Revenge" was cut from filming to accommodate a new chapter, "Massacre at Two Pines" that details the attack on The Bride. An outline of the chapter was to have Yuki Yubari, Gogo's sister, seek vengeance on The Bride for killing her sister. Yuki was to be played by Kô Shibasaki, who co-starred with Chiaki Kuriyama (who played Gogo in Vol.1) in Battle Royale (2000). "Yuki's Revenge" was eventually realized as a digitally-animated short film in Fortnite (2017), with the cooperation of Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman.
- #034
- #035
According to The Kill Bill Diary written by David Carradine, the movie that The Bride and her daughter would watch was originally going to be Disney's The Aristocats (1970). When Disney wouldn't allow it, Quentin decided to have them watch an episode of the cartoon Samurai Jack (2001). However, the film heard in the final cut is Shogun Assassin (1980).
- #036
- #037
- #038
- #039
- #040
Also changed from the original script, the story of Pai Mei is no longer told in a Jeep on the way to the cruel master's temple. Rather, it is now unfolded in front of a campfire somewhere in the Chinese countryside the night before Bill and The Bride arrive. With the aid of a flute (one of the silent flutes from Circle of Iron (1978)), Bill tells the tale of Pai Mei in a "Peter and The Wolf" type fashion.
- #041
Quentin Tarantino originally intended to only have Pai Mei's lips speaking Cantonese, while his voice would be in English, imitating a bad dub job. Tarantino was going to provide the voice himself. In the end, Tarantino abandoned this idea, and Pai Mei (Chia-Hui Liu) speaks in his own voice.
- #042
- #043
- #044
Unlike every other Quentin Tarantino film (including Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)), this movie doesn't end with "written and directed by". Instead, Tarantino shows his own credit at the end of the main credits, but before the crew credits, for the various locations at which Kill Bill was filmed.
- #045
- #046
Pai Mei is based on Pak Mei, the originator of the "White Eyebrow" kung fu technique. According to legend, Pak Mei was one of the few Masters left following the decimation of the Buddhist temples. He later sold out other Masters to save his team and himself during an attack that they had mounted that subsequently went wrong. For this reason, Pak Mei Kung Fu has always been known as the "forbidden technique", and Pak Mei has been a villainous figure in Chinese folklore and film, for hundreds of years.
- #047
- #048
- #049
Contains a major spoiler — show
Before Chapter Six was changed from "Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?" to "Massacre at Two Pines", Samuel L. Jackson's wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson was supposed to play a character named L.F. O'Boyle, a casino owner who Bill personally dispatches after toying with her.
- #050
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the original script, the fight between Beatrix Kiddo and Elle Driver was supposed to resemble her fight with O-Ren Ishii. Quentin Tarantino revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he changed it the day after catching a showing of Jackass: The Movie (2002) at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas.
- #051
Contains a major spoiler — show
The climax of the film was originally written as a sword-fight on a moonlit beach between Beatrix (clad in her wedding dress) and Bill. When the production ran long, Harvey Weinstein insisted Quentin Tarantino cut the scene back. All that remains is Bill's brief reference to such a fight while Beatrix sits on his sofa, and the film's poster showing Beatrix in the dress holding her sword.
- #052
- #053
Behind the Scenes (11)
- #054
In the training scene with Pai Mei, Pai Mei exclusively speaks Cantonese with a mainland accent (as opposed to a Hong Kong accent). Beatrix speaks a mixture of Mandarin and Cantonese words. The character's words spoken in Mandarin are 'wo' meaning 'I' (47m32s, 53m29s), 'hen hao' meaning 'that well' (47m34s), 'bu' meaning 'no' (52m46s), and 'shue' meaning 'close' (53m30s.) The words spoken in Cantonese are 'haih' meaning 'yes' (48m48s, 52m18s, 52m19s, 52m40s, 52m51s) and 'sifu' meaning 'master' (53m30s).
- #055
- #056
In 2018, Uma Thurman posted footage online of a car accident that occurred in 2002 while filming this movie. At the time, Thurman had voiced her reservations about filming a scene while driving a car over a straight dirt road and had requested a stunt performer. However, since the scene was not considered to be a stunt and the stunt coordinator was not on-set that day, Quentin Tarantino persuaded her to shoot the scene herself. While driving the Karmann Ghia, there was an unexpected turn in the road causing Thurman to lose control of the car and crash it into a tree, leaving her with a concussion and damaged knees. She tried to obtain the footage as proof but Harvey Weinstein reportedly refused to release it unless she signed a document that would release the company from any liability. Years later, Tarantino finally gave her the footage and helped her come forward in the wake of multiple sexual assault charges against Weinstein (with Thurman also claiming to be one of his victims). Thurman and Tarantino admitted that the incident had caused a breach in trust which affected their working relationship for several years, but they reconciled afterwards and have been on good terms ever since.
- #057
The "Massacre at Two Pines" ends in a single long take. The camera follows The Bride down the aisle away from Bill to the altar, then floats away from the altar, down the aisle, past Bill, and out the door to the awaiting members of the DiVAS. Once the squad enters the chapel, the camera cranes up off the ground where pandemonium inside can be heard until finally fading out.
- #058
- #059
The club owner hated Budd's hat, because writer and director Quentin Tarantino didn't like it when Michael Madsen appeared on the set wearing it. He tried to talk Michael out of it, but that didn't help. So Quentin got back with a little change in the script the next day, and Michael Madsen had to follow it.
- #060
- #061
In 2018, Uma Thurman posted footage online of a car accident that occurred in 2002 while filming this movie. At the time, Thurman had voiced her reservations about filming a scene while driving a car over a straight dirt road and had requested a stunt performer. However, since the scene was not considered to be a stunt and the stunt coordinator was not on-set that day, Quentin Tarantino persuaded her to shoot the scene herself. While driving the Karmann Ghia, there was an unexpected turn in the road causing Thurman to lose control of the car and crash it into a tree, leaving her with a concussion and damaged knees. She tried to obtain the footage as proof but Harvey Weinstein reportedly refused to release it unless she signed a document that would release the company from any liability. Years later, Tarantino finally gave her the footage and helped her come forward in the wake of multiple sexual assault charges against Weinstein (with Thurman also claiming to be one of his victims). Thurman and Tarantino admitted that the incident had caused a breach in trust which affected their working relationship for several years, but they reconciled afterwards and have been on good terms ever since.
- #062
- #063
Contains a major spoiler — show
Daryl Hannah improvised the scene where Elle Driver's eye gets removed by Beatrix Kiddo and she goes "nuts". She did this because she thought it would make Quentin Tarantino laugh. He did, and that scene was in the final film. She sustained injuries from breaking so many things in the bathroom.
- #064
Characters & Cast (7)
- #065
Uma Thurman and Daryl Hannah did not get along with each other, and reportedly instructed hotel and cinema staff to ensure that they were kept separate from each other during the press tour for Volume 1. They were again at odds at the film's screening at the Cannes Film Festival and ordered separate areas to be created at the after-show party so they wouldn't clash. When the two women won "Best Fight" at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, only Daryl attended. Uma's absence was conspicuous, considering she had gone the previous year to collect the award for her fight with Chiaki Kuriyama in Volume 1.
- #066
- #067
- #068
The Score from A Fistful of Dollars (1964) can be heard when Budd shoots Beatrix. 20 years earlier, David Carradine had starred in The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984) which had a similar plot to Yojimbo (1961) which A Fistful of Dollars was a remake of. In the film, David Carradine starred as a warrior-for-hire on a desert planet who gets caught up in a feud between two rival warlords, then takes advantage of the feud and an enslaved sorceress who convinces him to stand against the two warlords and defeat them.
- #069
- #070
Contains a major spoiler — show
Despite The Bride having Hattori Hanzo crafted a sword specifically for her to exact revenge against Bill, she only uses it successfully once: against Cottonmouth and the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). All of The Bride's other targets were killed by other means.
- #071
Contains a major spoiler — show
Esteban Vihaio (Michael Parks) explains to Beatrix that Bill became passionate about blonde women after seeing Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), when he saw with Vihaio when he was six years old. According to this, Bill may be as old as sixty-four during the events of the movie. In mid-century rural Mexico old movies were often shown in the cinemas, which means that he could have been six years old in the late 1950s. David Carradine was sixty-six at the time that Kill Bill Vol. 1 was filmed.
Easter Eggs & References (50)
- #072
- #073
"Beatrix" and "Bill" both start with the letter "B", hence the naming of their daughter "B.B." There are also other "B.B." references. For example, the opening song "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra, also when Beatrix sees B.B. and Bill for the first time, B.B. points a toy water pistol and yells "Bang! Bang!"
- #074
The Score from A Fistful of Dollars (1964) can be heard when Budd shoots Beatrix. 20 years earlier, David Carradine had starred in The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984) which had a similar plot to Yojimbo (1961) which A Fistful of Dollars was a remake of. In the film, David Carradine starred as a warrior-for-hire on a desert planet who gets caught up in a feud between two rival warlords, then takes advantage of the feud and an enslaved sorceress who convinces him to stand against the two warlords and defeat them.
- #075
When Elle reveals to Beatrix that she killed Pei-Mei and as Beatrix is about to engage Elle in a sword fight, Beatrix says to Elle "You got no future". This is a nod to Red Sonja (1985) which in the movie Red Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen) says to Brytag (Pat Roach) "I know my future. You have none". In the movie, Red Sonja, a warrior seeks vengeance upon the evil masked Queen Gedren whom slew her family and allowed her warriors to rape her.
- #076
- #077
Pai Mei punches through a wooden plank, leaving a round hole as opposed to regular wood splinters. This may be a reference to several martial arts Masters, among them Masusatsu Oyama, founder of the Kyokushin school of karate in martial arts folklore, who is said to have punched such a hole in an oak door to grab the wrist of a burglar trying to enter his house.
- #078
- #079
- #080
- #081
The brand of cigarettes smoked in this film in American Spirits, as seen in close-ups by the eagle logo below the filter. However, a pack of Red Apples, Quentin Tarantino's signature brand of fake cigarettes, can clearly be seen on the table when The Bride meets with Esteban (Michael Parks).
- #082
- #083
Esteban Vihaio mentions to The Bride about following the "road to Salinas" to track down Bill. James Dean was driving on the road to Salinas on September 30, 1955 when another driver swerved onto the highway, resulting in the crash that ended Dean's life. However, Esteban actually said "Salina", not "Salinas", as in the aforementioned Road to Salina (1970).
- #084
- #085
- #086
- #087
- #088
- #089
- #090
In the scene in which The Bride and Bill meet on the porch of the church house, the street in the background is labelled "Aqua Caliente", which is a reference to For a Few Dollars More (1965). Aqua Caliente is the place where Indio (Gian Maria Volonté) and his gang duel with Manco (Clint Eastwood) and Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef).
- #091
- #092
- #093
When Bill is dropping Kiddo off at the foot of the temple steps to begin her training, she has a dark blue hoodie on her forearms and down her back. He hands her heavy bags which she slings across her shoulders. When she asks him when she'll see him again, the hoodie is up on her right shoulder under the strap of one of the heavy bags. Next time we see her, about 3 seconds later, the hoodie is down off that shoulder again although the bag's strap is still in place, and now the hoodie is up on her formerly bare left shoulder. After Bill tells her not to backtalk her new teacher, the hoodie is back on her right shoulder under the strap. As Bill begins to drive away, her hoodie is now up on both her shoulders under bag straps.
- #094
- #095
As The Bride is walking under a very bright sun through the desert just before the trailer incident, the music played is "Sunny Road to Salina", composed and performed by French 1960s crooner Christophe. Later on, The Bride is told that Bill's hacienda is "on the road to Salina", a reference to the film, in which the aforementioned track was originally heard, The Road to Salina (1970).
- #096
- #097
- #098
- #099
The fictional book that Esteban Vihaio (Michael Parks) reads is "The Carrucans of Kurrajong" by Jasmine Yuen. Kurrajong is a town in Australia. Crew member Jasmine Yuen Carrucan is Australian. A character named Old Man Carrucan (played by Bruce Dern) appeared in Django Unchained (2012). The character Django is from the Carrucan plantation, referencing back to this movie and Jasmine Yuen Carrucan.
- #100
- #101
While talking to The Bride at his hacienda, Bill is holding a Hanzo sword while a film plays in the background. In the film, the characters are about to get in a tustle. When Bill puts the Katana down, the BANG sound it makes matches with the visual of a character being punched in the film in the background.
- #102
Pai Mei punches through a wooden plank, leaving a round hole as opposed to regular wood splinters. This may be a reference to several martial arts Masters, among them Masusatsu Oyama, founder of the Kyokushin school of karate in martial arts folklore, who is said to have punched such a hole in an oak door to grab the wrist of a burglar trying to enter his house.
- #103
In the scene in which The Bride and Bill meet on the porch of the church house, the street in the background is labelled "Aqua Caliente", which is a reference to For a Few Dollars More (1965). Aqua Caliente is the place where Indio (Gian Maria Volonté) and his gang duel with Manco (Clint Eastwood) and Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef).
- #104
As The Bride is walking under a very bright sun through the desert just before the trailer incident, the music played is "Sunny Road to Salina", composed and performed by French 1960s crooner Christophe. Later on, The Bride is told that Bill's hacienda is "on the road to Salina", a reference to the film, in which the aforementioned track was originally heard, The Road to Salina (1970).
- #105
- #106
- #107
While talking to The Bride at his hacienda, Bill is holding a Hanzo sword while a film plays in the background. In the film, the characters are about to get in a tustle. When Bill puts the Katana down, the BANG sound it makes matches with the visual of a character being punched in the film in the background.
- #108
When Elle reveals to Beatrix that she killed Pei-Mei and as Beatrix is about to engage Elle in a sword fight, Beatrix says to Elle "You got no future". This is a nod to Red Sonja (1985) which in the movie Red Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen) says to Brytag (Pat Roach) "I know my future. You have none". In the movie, Red Sonja, a warrior seeks vengeance upon the evil masked Queen Gedren whom slew her family and allowed her warriors to rape her.
- #109
- #110
- #111
- #112
- #113
- #114
Contains a major spoiler — show
The five point palm exploding heart technique that Beatrix uses on Bill near the end of the movie is an obvious nod to the 1979 Kung Fu movie, The Dragon's Snake Fist starring Dragon Lee. In that movie the antagonist would use this technique to kill his victims. He tried using this technique against Lee in their battle, but Lee was able to block it unlike Bill could in this movie.
- #115
Contains a major spoiler — show
During the scene in which Bill shoots the bride with truth serum and then interrogates her, he calls her a "renegade killer bee". This references projects of the Wu-Tang Clan. RZA, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, wrote much of the original music for the two films.
- #116
Contains a major spoiler — show
Despite The Bride's name being bleeped out in Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) and for two-thirds of this movie, her name is spoken or revealed on more than one occasion. When someone calls her Beatrix and it's bleeped, it is simply muffled and is still audible, and if you're good at reading lips, you may be able to figure it out. Also, Bill refers to The Bride as "Kiddo" in the flashback scenes. While this is both his pet name for her and a common term of endearment, it is also her last name.
- #117
- #118
Contains a major spoiler — show
During the end credits, the names of actors and actresses playing characters on The Bride's "Death List Five" list are crossed off, that is, those characters who die on-screen. In order, as per the "Death List Five", it is Lucy Liu (O-Ren Ishii), Vivica A. Fox (Vernita Green), and Michael Madsen (Budd). A question mark appears over Daryl Hannah (Elle) since it is technically unknown as to her condition, though being now completely blind, heavily bleeding from her (second) destroyed eye, and trapped in a trailer with an agitated Black Mamba in the middle of the desert, she has little to no hope of survival. David Carradine (Bill), who dies on-screen, has his name appear before the aforementioned cast members, yet his name is not crossed off.
- #119
- #120
- #121
Deeper Meaning (8)
- #122
Pai Mei is based on Pak Mei, the originator of the "White Eyebrow" kung fu technique. According to legend, Pak Mei was one of the few Masters left following the decimation of the Buddhist temples. He later sold out other Masters to save his team and himself during an attack that they had mounted that subsequently went wrong. For this reason, Pak Mei Kung Fu has always been known as the "forbidden technique", and Pak Mei has been a villainous figure in Chinese folklore and film, for hundreds of years.
- #123
This movie reveals that three of the six members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad are not named after any species of Viper. Bill is Snake Charmer, the Black Mamba is of the Elapidae family, and the California Mountain King Snake is a completely non-venomous constrictor. The California Mountain King Snake is famous for its ability to eat other snakes, particularly rattlesnakes like the Sidewinder (Budd's cryptonym).
- #124
- #125
In the training scene with Pai Mei, Pai Mei exclusively speaks Cantonese with a mainland accent (as opposed to a Hong Kong accent). Beatrix speaks a mixture of Mandarin and Cantonese words. The character's words spoken in Mandarin are 'wo' meaning 'I' (47m32s, 53m29s), 'hen hao' meaning 'that well' (47m34s), 'bu' meaning 'no' (52m46s), and 'shue' meaning 'close' (53m30s.) The words spoken in Cantonese are 'haih' meaning 'yes' (48m48s, 52m18s, 52m19s, 52m40s, 52m51s) and 'sifu' meaning 'master' (53m30s).
- #126
At 14m 1s, there is a crane shot that ends with a slight/slow oscillation. This hints that this was not a modern lightweight camera crane, but a more traditional crane that carried a lot more mass on the end (possibly camera crew). There was clearly no attempt to smooth this out 'in post'.
- #127
- #128
Contains a major spoiler — show
Pai Mei is believed never to have taught the five point palm exploding heart technique to any of his students. However, in their climactic fight, Beatrix uses the technique to kill Bill. This might suggest that Beatrix had asked "very" nicely to learn it. Yet when the dying Bill asks Beatrix why Pai Mei taught her the technique, she hesitates before tearfully answering, "I don't know." Even now, she wants to spare Bill's feelings.
- #129
Career & Awards (2)
- #130
- #131
Uma Thurman and Daryl Hannah did not get along with each other, and reportedly instructed hotel and cinema staff to ensure that they were kept separate from each other during the press tour for Volume 1. They were again at odds at the film's screening at the Cannes Film Festival and ordered separate areas to be created at the after-show party so they wouldn't clash. When the two women won "Best Fight" at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, only Daryl attended. Uma's absence was conspicuous, considering she had gone the previous year to collect the award for her fight with Chiaki Kuriyama in Volume 1.
Related pages
- Kevin Costner — Kill Bill: Vol. 2 comes up in the facts on that page
- The Hateful Eight — Kill Bill: Vol. 2 comes up in the facts on that page
- Inglourious Basterds — Kill Bill: Vol. 2 comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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