Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to borrowing from other films, for lack of a better word. All of his films have the DNA of films that have left an impression on him from his time working at a video store. For the most part, most filmmakers do borrow from the media that inspires them, it’s part of being an artist. But Tarantino’s use of homage and reference occasionally go further than the average filmmaker. It goes a little further than just homage, many of his influences are overtly shown to a point of borderline copying.
Tarantino’s borrowing goes from using scenes from other movies. For example, the dance fromPulp Fictionis right out ofBande A Parte; theInglorious Basterdsdoorway shot is identical toThe Searchersclosing shot. Even MacGuffins show evidence of this,likePulp Fiction’s briefcase borrowed fromKiss Me Deadly. But it isn’t just meager scenes or plot devices that he borrows for his own films, many of them share strong resemblances to other films' plots and characters. One that borrows more than his other movies is hisKill BillDuology.
For this list, the focus will be on the big players that Tarantino used instead of the quick references he uses like The Bride and her daughter watching Shogun Assassin in bed.
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Lady Snowblood
The firstKill Billfilm opens with a mother declaring vengeance on those who wronged her. Sound familiar? It is becausethe 1973 samurai film,Lady Snowblood, is the most obvious influence onKill Bill. The film recounts a woman’s tale of bloody vengeance for her mother, rather than her daughter in the case ofKill Bill —as she is trained to go against those who destroyed her family. Although that seems like a small and vague influence on the movie and nothing more than an homage, one viewing ofLady Snowbloodwill show anyone that it is much more than that. Everything from the plot is very similar. Costume design is identical for certain characters, specific shots are replicated, and even certain sets are almost exact replicas of those fromLady Snowblood.
If that isn’t enough,Lady Snowbloodfeatures the same iconic and over-the-top blood splatters when someone is killed by a sword. Even the targets of Lady Snowblood are introduced in the same way the Deadly Viper Assassination Club is, in a sequence where they are cutting her father down to have their faces shown in a freeze-frame with their names on the screen. There is more that could be said, but to list every similarity betweenLady SnowbloodandKill Billmight be a bit lengthy.
The Bride Wore Black
It is reasonable to not expect a Francois Truffaut movie on the list, but it’s on here for good reason. The film follows a widow whose husband was shot and killed on the church steps of their wedding, thus unleashing her journey for revenge one by one on the five people who supposedly murdered her husband.
Tarantino’s influence from Truffaut’s movie is almost as on the nose asLady Snowblood’s. A woman widowed in a wedding dress goes out seeking revenge on the five people who killed her husband. That reads as a plot synopsis forKill Billmaybe a little more so thanLady Snowblood. The only thing that givesLady Snowbloodthe influential edge is the number of details thatKill Billreplicates from it, but this one is a close second.
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The Five Deadly Venoms
If the previous two titles weren’t big enough influences forKill Bill’s Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, here’s one more. To be fair, the Deadly Vipers are easily one of the biggest highlights ofKill Billas they offer a fun, cool, and unique groupof antagonists for the bride to hunt. LikeThe Five Deadly Venoms, they are all uniquely skilled people with some cool code names based on deadly animals. Its influence doesn’t really go past that, but does it need to when it helped Tarantino think of an all-time great cast of antagonists?
Bruce Lee/Game of Death
Quentin Tarantino doesn’t have much love fromthe Bruce Lee fan base, thanks to his portrayal of Lee inOnce Upon A Time In Hollywood. But Tarantino’s homage to Bruce Lee is a bit more well-received. InKill Bill Vol. 1, The Bride wears a black stripped yellow jumpsuit that is nearly identical to Lee’s from his final movie,Game of Death.
Kill Billeven has the video game style of having different ‘bosses’ facing off against the protagonist in a series of set pieces. Although it isn’t as influential on the duology as the previously mentioned titles, it is the most popular and mentioned homage of Tarantino’s for good reason. That jumpsuit just works so well in bloody fight sequences, it is great.
