The Quentin Tarantino movie Stephen King called “tepid” and “narcissistic”
In 1967, Stephen King sold his first short story, The Glass Floor, kickstarting a career as one of the most prolific and successful modern authors. A master of the horror genre, many of King’s works have been adapted into movies, from The Shining to It and Carrie.
The author’s connection to the film industry has led him to shed many bold opinions over the years, such as telling Deadline that he “didn’t care for [The Shining] much”. From referring to Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left as a “crapfest” to calling The Godfather Part III “opulent, incoherent, and boring”, King’s opinions have undoubtedly ruffled a few feathers over the years.
One of his most scathing reviews came in 2007 when he reviewed Kill Bill Vol 1. Writing for Entertainment Weekly, he emphasised his distaste for Quentin Tarantino’s fourth film, calling it “tepid”. Referring to Kill Bill as a “pretty blah” movie that “doesn’t matter”, King ranted for a few paragraphs about its “tiresome” jokes, poorly-choreographed violence (“like an Esther Williams swim routine”) and the overall “dull” atmosphere.
He wrote: “You probably saw some good reviews of it, possibly even in this magazine. Steve says don’t you believe it. Steve says you should remember that movie critics see movies free. Also, they don’t have to pay the babysitter or spring 10 bucks for the parking. They’re thus apt to rhapsodise over narcissistic stuff like Kill Bill, which announces itself as Quentin Tarantino’s Fourth Film, ain’t we la-di-da.”
He added: “It’s just dully full of itself. Uma Thurman tries hard, and she’s the best thing in the movie, but in the end, she’s stuck playing a woman who’s a label instead of a human being: She is, God save us, the Bride.”
Moreover, King commented on the movie’s ending: “There’s not even an ending you can hang your hat on; we’re just told to stay tuned for more — more karate kicks and throws, more falsetto birdy-sounding battle cries.” King wasn’t wholly negative, though, arguing that “It’s certainly well made, and the story garners some of our interest as it goes along,” although he insists that “dull is still dull, isn’t it?”
“All I’m doing here is trying to focus the feelings of vague dissatisfaction you’re apt to experience leaving this movie, the sense that you came to be entertained and instead found yourself warming your hands at the bonfire of Quentin Tarantino’s vanities,” he added.
In response, Tarantino told Entertainment Tonight: “I can imagine someone taking a cynical view like that. But to me, I meant it, and not in some airy-fairy way. This is my fourth movie, and I haven’t done anything in a long time. It’s telling you who I am today, and the fifth will tell you something else.” Evidently, Tarantino wasn’t too phased by King’s review, and Kill Bill remains one of his most popular films.
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