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Here Are 31 Film References In 'Kill Bill: Volume 2'

Happy 10th Anniversary, 'Kill Bill: Volume 2'
Erin Whitney

Ten years ago, on April 16, 2004, Quentin Tarantino debuted the second half of "Kill Bill." We'll never forget The Bride's iconic Bruce Lee-esque yellow jumpsuit or her fight against the Crazy 88 in "Kill Bill: Volume 1," but "Volume 2" introduced a slew of new film references, genre remixing and kick-ass fight scenes.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the final chapters of Beatrix Kiddo's tale, we've rounded up a handful of film references from the Tarantino favorite (below), with some help from an awesome video by Kirby Ferguson and Robert Grigsby Wilson (above).

The Bride and Greta Garbo
Miramax
The final close-up tracking shot of The Bride at the end of "Vol. 2" is a reference to the famous last shot of Greta Garbo in 1933's "Queen Christina."
Watching "Shogun Assassin"
(via)
The movie The Bride and her daughter B.B. watch in bed near the end of "Vol. 2" is 1980's "Shogun Assassin."
Ennio Morricone's "A Fist Full of Dollars" score
YouTube
The score form 1964's "A Fistful of Dollars" plays after Budd shoots The Bride with tranquilizers.
The famous shot from "The Searchers
Miramax/Warner Bros.
In the beginning of "Vol. 2," the shot of The Bride standing in the doorway is a direct reference to the iconic shot of John Wayne in the doorway in John Ford's 1956 "The Searchers."
Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique
YouTube
The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, known vaguely as Dim Mak in martial arts, is also used in the films "Clan of the White Lotus" (1980) and "Executioners of Shaolin" (1977). Both of these films also portray the character Pai Mei, played by Gordon Liu in "Vol. 2," who is a fictionalized version of the real-life Bak Mei.
Same suit from "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown"
(via)
The black suite with the open, white-collared shirt Daryl Hannah's Elle Driver wears in "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" is the same style worn by Uma Thurman in "Pulp Fiction" and Pam Grier in "Jackie Brown."
"Navajo Joe" theme music
YouTube
The theme music from 1966's "Navajo Joe" plays several times throughout "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," such as right before The Bride and Elle fight, when Bill walks out into the garden, and in the opening car sequence.
Same line from "Jackie Brown"
(via)
In "Kill Bill" Elle Driver says "No you should listen to this 'cause this concerns you," which Samuel L. Jackson's Ordell Robbie says (similarly) in "Jackie Brown."
"The Profession Gun" score
YouTube
"L'Arena," from the score of 1968's "The Profession Gun," plays when The Bride is being nailed into the coffin and again when she's escaping the coffin.
Crawling up from the grave
(via)
The scene where The Bride crawls out of the grave is a reference to the 1967 Western "Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!" This scene is also a reference to "Army of Darkness," "The Vanishing," "I Spit On Your Grave," "Carrie" and "Night of the Living Dead."
The siren music from "Ironside"
YouTube
An excerpt of the music from the 1967 TV series "Ironside" plays when The Bride first finds Elle Driver. It is also in the first volume of "Kill Bill."
"The Mercenary" kill list and theme music
(via)
The Bride makes a kill list similar to the one in 1968's "The Mercenary." "Vol. 2." als uses Ennio Morricone's theme music from the spaghetti western "L'Arena."
"The Talking Magpies" cartoon
YouTube
The Bride and B.B. watch the 1946 cartoon "The Talking Magpies" at the end of the film.
Trapped in a coffin
(via)
The shot of The Bride trapped in the coffin alludes to the 1980 horror film "City of the Living Dead."
“Il Tramonto" (The Sundown)
YouTube
Clint Eastwood's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is referenced again when Ennio Morricone's “Il Tramonto" (The Sundown) from the film plays when Bill meets The Bride at the wedding.
Henry Fonda in "Once Upon a Time in the West"
(via)
After The Bride escapes the coffin, she walks through desert to Budd's trailer. This out-of-focus shot references a similar shot of Henry Fonda in "Once Upon A Time In the West."
As useless as an asshole in "The Savage Seven"
YouTube
In this scene, Larry says Budd is as useless as an "asshole right here", referring to his elbow. Larry Bishop's character says the same line in 1968's "The Savage Seven."
"The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" shot
(via)
The scene in which Bill shoots The Bride references "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly".
"War of the Blonde Gargantuas"
YouTube
The fight scene between The Bride and Elle Driver was inspired by the 1966 Japanese sci-fi film "The War of the Gargantuas." On the DVD special features of "Kill Bill," Tarantino says he called his fight "War of the Blonde Gargantuas." Elle also says the word "gargantuas" several times in the scene.
Pris' death in "Blade Runner"
(via)
Darryl Hannah's rolling around on the bathroom floor in "Vol. 2" after The Bride takes her eye is a direct reference to Hannah's character Pris' death in "Blade Runner."
The original Elle Driver
(via)
The character of Elle Driver was inspired by Frigga/Madeleine from the the 1973 Swedish exploitation film "Thriller – A Cruel Picture."
Beatrix Kiddo inspired by Lana Turner
YouTube
The Bride's real name, Beatrix Kiddo, is partially inspired by Lana Turner's character, Beatrix Emery from 1941's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." In this scene from "Vol. 2," Esteban mentions Lana Turner (at 2:08) and her 1946 movie "The Postman Always Rings Twice."
"Zabriskie Point"
MGM
The music in the scene right before The Bride confronts Budd refers to Death Valley scene in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1970 "Zabriskie Point."
Luke Skywalker and Yoda in "Star Wars: Episode V"
Miramax
When The Bride is training with Pai Mei, there's a reference made to Luke Skywalker and Yoda in "Star Wars: Episode V."
Carradine playing the flute
(via)
The shot of David Carradine's Bill playing the flute in "Vol. 2" is almost an exact replica of Carradine doing the same thing in "Circle of Iron" (1978).
Pai Mei in "Shaolin Abbot"
Shaw Brothers
Pai Mei in "Vol. 2" is inspired by Lieh Lo's portrayal of Pai Mei in 1979's "Shaolin Abbot." The original "Kill Bill" script even reads, "Especially films that feature Lieh Lo as the old, white-haired, white-eye-browed villain Pai Mei."
"Road to Selina" score
YouTube
The song "The Chase" from "Vol. 2" is from the 1970 film "Road to Salina" and plays when The Bride makes her way to Budd's trailer after crawling out of the ground. In a later scene, Esteban tells The Bride that Bill's villa is on "the road to Salina."
"The Golden Stallion" on TV
Miramax
As The Bride confronts Bill at the end, Roy Rogers' 1949 "The Golden Stallion" plays on TV.
Woo-ping Yuen "Wing Chun"
YouTube
While fighting with Pai Mei, The Bride gets her foot stuck in his belly. This is a reference to martial arts choreographer Woo-ping Yuen's earlier 1994 film "Wing Chun."
"Face to Face" chapter
Miramax
The last chapter of "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" is titled "Face to Face," a reference to the 1967 western of the same name.
"Companeros" wedding scene
Miramax
The opening church scene in "Vol. 2" is a reference to the marriage scene between Vasco and Lola in the 1970 western "Companeros."
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