Quentin Tarantino films are like pizza, everybody has a personal favorite, and even the worst ones are still pretty damn awesome. The direction, the cinematography, the mix of old Hollywood film tricks mixed with new Hollywood, and, of course, the dialogue make every Tarantino film nothing short of a work of art. Statistically speaking, any Tarantino film is better than 99% of anything you'll find from Hollywood these days, and my personal favorite (by a very narrow margin) would have to be Kill Bill: Volume 2.
But of all the wonderful scenes from KB: V2, of all the fights, speeches, and emotional spikes this film throws at you, the one that sticks out to me the most is the trailer fight scene. Quite simply, this scene makes my list because it is abl to seamlessly blend graceful fighting with sheer brutality, not an easy feat for a Hollywood film. This fight perfectly encapsulates a battle between two people with nothing to lose, nothing is held back, and every dirty trick imaginable is utilized to stay alive, and still somehow manages to inject a sense of humor and silliness in the midst of it all.
What really makes this scene stand out however, is Tarantino's trademark mixture of old school kung fu fight camera tricks mixed with his personal touches to make the scene unique and original. Cameras mounted to nontraditional weaponry (such as Uma Thurman's feet) mixed with snap zooms of old create a dizzying effect that could make the audience feel just as flustered and out of breath as the two combatants. Partner this with Tarantino's tried and true techniques (such as the comic book like split frames) and you have a recipe for what could be described as a perfect fight scene.
Movie fights rely heavily on transporting the audience into the scene and making them feel what the characters are feeling, and reel when the character does the same. Well planned camera techniques and proper pacing can accomplish this in a relatively simple manner, as demonstrated in such examples as the ninja attack from The Last Samurai, the lightsaber battle from The Empire Strikes Back or any fight from Return of the Dragon. However, much like a first person shooter, this technique is simple to learn, but near impossible to master, and Quentin Tarantino has proven that he is one of the few directors in the history of film to have done so.
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