10 Martial Arts Movies That Inspired Kill Bill

Quentin Tarantino has always been one to wear his cinematic influences on his sleeve, and the Kill Bill duology is certainly no exception. The classic revenge tale is a love letter to various types of films, with the influence of Westerns like The Searchers and classic exploitation films of the 70s easy to spot throughout both volumes. However, above all else, Kill Bill is Tarantino’s take on a martial arts movie, with a few titles in particular being heavily referenced by the two-part film.

There are several ways in which both Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 clearly homage some of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite martial arts films. Most of the time, stylistic influences in the shot composition and art direction of the film are dead ringers for famous kung fu movies. In other instances, entire story elements and even straight-up named characters are lifted from standout entries in the genre. All of these references combine to make some of the most unique films of Quentin Tarantino’s catalog.

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Related All 9 Kung Fu Movie Easter Eggs In Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Movies

As a big fan of old school kung fu movies, Quentin Tarantino placed a lot of references in his Kill Bill duology for eagle-eyed viewers to enjoy.

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10 Shogun Assassin

Mirrors Kill Bill’s intersection of familial love and swordplay

While hand-to-hand combat is certainly prevalent in both Kill Bill movies, it’s the katana-slinging swordplay that truly defines the duology. No series of films better represents the jidaigeki movies that clearly inspired Kill Bill quite like the Lone Wolf and Cub series, particularly Shogun Assassin, an American edit of the first two films, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx, combined into a single feature. The series follows a disgraced executioner who wanders the countryside with his infant son in tow, nestled in a carriage bristling with hidden weaponry.

”
The lioness has rejoined her cub and all is right in the jungle
,”

Beyond Shogun Assassin‘s love of bloody and spectacular violence at the edge of samurai swords, Kill Bill is particularly keen on Lone Wolf and Cub. The film examines the stresses of working as a blade-for-hire while caring for a young child, something that both Beatrix Kiddo and Bill himself learn to empathize with. B.B. even name-drops the film later on, requesting it as a violent bedtime story. The final title card that reads “The lioness has rejoined her cub and all is right in the jungle,” is a clear homage to Lone Wolf and Cub.

9 Game Of Death

Kill Bill imitated Bruce Lee’s final film

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If there’s one martial arts movie whose influence is the most obvious on the Kill Bill saga, it’s 1978’s Game of Death. The final of Bruce Lee’s films following the martial arts legend’s untimely passing, posthumously released using a combination of pre-existing footage. The film followed Lee’s Billy Lo on a rampage through multiple deadly opponents. This journey mirrors Beatrix Kiddo’s own gauntlet of former assassin colleagues, ending with a character who happens to also be named Bill.

Story aside, it’s the visuals of Game of Death that Kill Bill replicates unerringly. Famously, Uma Thurman’s The Bride wears a black-and-yellow jumpsuit that is a one-to-one copy of Lee’s outfit in Game of Death‘s final fight. The choreography also echoes an earlier sequence in Game of Death, with the Bride holding a pose with a piece of bamboo just long enough to raise a single eyebrow before unleashing the weapon on her opponent, much in the same way Bruce Lee’s character toys with his opponents using a similar weapon.

8 Fists Of Fury

Inspired The Bride’s ability to take down a horde of opponents at once

Tarantino is a clear admirer of Bruce Lee, and it wouldn’t do for him to be heavily influenced by just one of his films during the making of Kill Bill Vol. 1. Arguably, Lee’s iconic film Fists of Fury may have had an even greater impact on the first volume of the two-part film. Fists of Fury stars Lee as Chen Zhen, a brilliant martial artist seeking to avenge the death of his master at the hands of Japanese imperialists.

The choreography from Fists of Fury had a huge impact on Kill Bill as a whole, particularly the scene in which Bruce Lee’s Chen Zhen takes on a horde of opponents at the same time, defeating impossible odds. This is reflected in the thrilling battle at the House of Blue Leaves towards the end of Kill Bill Vol. 1, which sees the bride mercilessly cut down wave after wave of opponents. There are even particular action beats in Fists of Fury that Tarantino recycled for the choreography of Kill Bill, showing his love for the Bruce Lee classic.

7 Five Fingers Of Death

Gave Kill Bill its incredible sound design

If there’s one thing Kill Bill is better known for than the striking image of Uma Thurman in Bruce Lee’s black-and-yellow Game of Death suit while wielding a katana, it’s the absolutely pulse-pounding soundtrack. Taking clear inspiration from the 70s exploitation movies Tarantino is so fond of, the Kill Bill Vol. 1 track list in particular is a true earworm. However, this score might not exactly be the most original, as Tarantino directly lifted several songs from martial arts movies, including Five Fingers of Death.

The Kill Bill vengeance theme went on to take on a life of its own as a meme long after the film’s release, but Tarantino wasn’t the first martial arts filmmaker to use the dramatic siren-laden audio cue. The song first showed up in a martial arts movie in Five Fingers of Death, blaring every time Lo Lieh’s character prepared to do battle. In turn, Five Fingers of Death originally stole the song from the 60s detective drama Ironside, which used the tune as its theme music.

6 Battle Royale

Was Tarantino’s most modern influence in Kill Bill Vol. 1

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The dystopian action movie Battle Royale takes place in a future Japan, where a group of high school students fight to the death in a deserted island until only one survivor remains. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the 2000 film gave rise to a whole genre of similar stories such as the Hunger Games books and movies, as well as the video game Fortnite.

Director Kinji Fukasaku Release Date December 16, 2000 Cast Tatsuya Fujiwara , Aki Maeda , Tarô Yamamoto , Takeshi Kitano , Chiaki Kuriyama , Sosuke Takaoka Runtime 114 Minutes

For the most part, Tarantino remains infatuated with the 70s, from his multiple love letters to the era in multiple other films to his constant references to martial arts films of the decade in both Kill Bill volumes. However, Kill Bill Vol. 1 takes the time to acknowledge a more modern era of gory spectacle and kung fu prowess with the character of Gogo Yubari. An unassuming-looking teen girl, Gogo is actually the deadliest of the Crazy 88, and O-Ren’s personal bodyguard.

The entire character of Gogo is a reference to an earlier role from her actress, Chiaki Kuriyama, in the movie Battle Royale. Here, Kuriyama plays Takako Chigusa, a similarly deadly high schooler who is forced to kill to survive when her entire class is plunged into a deadly no-holds-barred deathmatch. Gogo wears a schoolgirl outfit that echoes the film’s premise, and she even stabs a man after some unwanted sexual advances much in the same way as Chigusa does. Tarantino planned on appearing in Battle Royale 2: Requiem as a cameo, proving his love for the movie.

5 Executioners From Shaolin

Tarantino Brought Back Gordon Liu’s Character For Vol. 2

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Executioners from Shaolin is a 1977 martial arts film directed by Lau Kar-leung. The story follows the legendary Shaolin disciple Hung Hsi-kuan as he seeks revenge for the destruction of his temple and the murder of his master by the ruthless Pai Mei. The film is renowned for its blend of traditional kung fu techniques and its portrayal of the enduring struggle between good and evil within the martial arts world.

Director Lau Kar-leung Release Date February 16, 1977 Cast Chen Kuan-tai , Li-Li Li , Wong Yue , Lo Lieh , Gordon Liu Runtime 100 Minutes

Chiaki Kuriyama is far from the only recognizable martial arts movie actor Tarantino saw fit to bring into the fold for Kill Bill. The esteemed Gordon Liu appears in both volumes of the duology as two different characters, proving once and for all Tarantino’s connections among the most revered names in the genre. In Kill Bill Vol. 1, Liu plays Johnny Mo, the leader of the Crazy 88 gang that puts up a vicious fight against The Bride.

However, it isn’t until Kill Bill Vol. 2 that one of Gordon Liu’s best films, Executioners from Shaolin, is directly referenced, with Liu returning to play Pai Mei. In the original film, Pai Mei is a deadly and evil kung fu master who agrees to raid a Shaolin temple on behalf of the government. In Kill Bill Vol. 2, Liu steps into the role of the character after going up against him in Executioners from Shaolin to serve as Beatrix’s master in an extended flashback sequence, connecting the film to Executioners from Shaolin in a sort of proto cinematic universe.

4 The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin

Tarantino inverts Gordon Liu’s role in the film

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Director Chia-Liang Liu Release Date February 2, 1978

Speaking of Gordon Liu’s role in Kill Bill Vol. 2, his teachings as Pai Mei are also an interesting twist on his most famous role. In The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Liu plays a hopeful martial arts student who has to run the brutal gauntlet of chambers within a fearsome Shaolin temple in order to gain the kung fu skills he needs to stand up to a corrupt government. In Kill BIll Vol. 2, the student officially becomes the teacher.

As Pai Mei, Gordon Liu gets to enjoy a fun reversal of his most famous role, being the one behind the vicious training rather than the one enduring it. The brutal treatment Beatrix Kiddo suffers at the hands of Mei’s callous tutelage is not dissimilar to the trials and tribulations Liu had to go through to complete his training in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Sadly, the fate of Liu’s character as a teacher is far more tragic than his role as a student, though it’s hard to say he didn’t deserve his death.

3 Five Deadly Venoms

Served as Kill Bill’s Shaw Brothers inspiration

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Five Deadly Venoms is a Chang Cheh-directed martial arts classic that follows a dying master who sends his final pupil to check on five former students, each trained in a unique animal-inspired martial arts style. The young protégé must navigate a web of alliances and rivalries to uncover a hidden treasure. Known for its intricate plot and distinctive fighting styles, the film has become iconic within the genre.

The movies of the legendary Shaw brothers made Hong Kong into a veritable martial arts movie powerhouse, and Tarantino can certainly count himself among the duo’s many fans. One of the Shaw brothers’ greatest films is easily Five Deadly Venoms, whose influence shone through in the making of Kill Bill. Rather than inspiring a particular standout moment or visual, Five Deadly Venoms lays the very foundation for the overarching plot of Kill Bill.

The film revolves around a powerful kung fu master who tasks his latest student to track down and defeat five of his former pupils, who have all begun to use their martial arts mastery for nefarious purposes. Each of the titular five deadly venoms specializes in a different form of kung fu named after a venomous animal, and go by a nickname to match. Similarly, Beatrix has to make her way through four memebers of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, who each use a species of snake as a codename, also bearing their own specializations in the art of killing.

2 Lady Snowblood

Has fingerprints all over Kill Bill Vol. 1

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Director Toshiya Fujita Release Date March 22, 1974 Cast Meiko Kaji , Toshio Kurosawa , Masaaki Daimon , Miyoko Akaza , Shinichi Uchida , Takeo Chii , Noboru Nakaya , Yoshiko Nakada Runtime 97 Minutes

While the two halves of Kill Bill each bear their own stylistic influences, the entire final act of Kill Bill Vol. 1 is a painfully obvious homage to Lady Snowblood. The 1973 Japanese film weaves a similar tale of revenge, introducing the story of a young girl born in prison who grows up to inherit her mother’s fiery grudge against the gangsters who killed her husband and son. Using a wicked katana hidden within her umbrella, the adult Yuki goes on to slice her way through ever name on her mother’s hit list, much in the same way the bride does.

Aesthetically, the final showdown between The Bride and O-Ren is a dead ringer for Lady Snowblood. O-ren’s animated backstory echoes Lady Snowblood‘s use of manga panels to weave a narrative, and her climactic duel in the beautiful snow outside the House of Blue Leaves is clearly evocative of Lady Snowblood‘s own last battle. Finally, the song that plays over O-ren’s death is none other than Flower of Carnage, the theme song of Lady Snowblood.

1 Sanjuro

Had an incredible impact on samurai films of all kinds

The Kill Bill duology is far from the only film to be profoundly impacted by Sanjuro, but that doesn’t make its influence any less valuable. One of the all-time greatest jidaigeki films ever made, Sanjuro essentially defined the cinematic katana sword fight for decades to come, especially including those featured in Kill Bill. The film stars the legendary Toshiro Mifune as the titular ronin, on a crusade against a corrupt local government.

Sanjuro
invented many trademarks of the samurai movie, most notably the use of massive blood geysers that symbolize total defeat

Sanjuro invented many trademarks of the samurai movie, most notably the use of massive blood geysers that symbolize total defeat. Tarantino uses these blood geysers liberally in Kill Bill, with one of the most memorable being the scalping of O-ren at the end of the first volume. Though it’s influence is felt far and wide, it’d be disrespectful not to point out that Sanjuro is easily one of Kill Bill‘s greatest influences, alongside many other films.

Kill Bill 4.5 0

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Quentin 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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