Quentin Tarantino’s sprawling, two-film revenge saga Kill Bill is told, like many of this director’s stories, out of chronological order. That means that the first big fight sequence of Vol. 1 is the one between Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), a.k.a. Copperhead, and Beatrix “The Bride” Kiddo (Uma Thurman), a.k.a. Black Mamba. Once members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, the two had something of a falling-out when Green took part in a deadly raid on Black Mamba’s wedding rehearsal. So when the latter shows up at the former’s suburban doorstep in Pasadena four years later, the two waste no time with pleasantries before becoming engaged in deadly combat. The epic, house-trashing fight scene that follows has been faithfully if cheaply recreated by the team behind the webseries Homemade Movies. The results are surprisingly visceral, helped in no small measure by the quickness of the editing. Even with cardboard props and a heroine with a less-than-convincing wig, the action still pops.
As always with Homemade Movies, a big part of the fun is seeing the ingenuity that goes into the making of each episode. This behind-the-scenes documentary runs more than twice as long as the main episode, but it’s packed with interesting tidbits, like the fact that the two seemingly bitter combatants are actually the director’s girlfriend and one of her old classmates. The video showcases all the aspects of this makeshift production, from the making of the costumes and props to the recording of sound effects and music. The wardrobe, it is revealed, was heavily customized through the use of tape and spray paint. The walls, meanwhile, are actually covered with plastic tablecloths from a dollar store in order to make them the proper color. And, even though this is just a silly comedy sketch, all the fighting is carefully choreographed. Safety first.
Below is a side-by-side comparison video proving that when it comes to replicating the pacing and framing of the Tarantino scene, the Homemade Movies crew did an excellent job. Those trips to the dollar store really paid off.
