2. Uma Thurman vs Daryl Hannah, Kill Bill Vol. 2
Now this is raw. Of course not every fight has to take place in a dirty trailer with tobacca' juice and nasty toilets, but after watching this fight you'll want all fights to take place in dirty trailers with tobacca' juice and nasty toilets. Let's forget the fact that Tarantino is basically a ripoff artist for a sec, and give him credit where credit is due. Watch this scene and of course see all the influences of Quentin's cinephilia bursting through, from the Shaw Brother's-style sound effects to the De Palma-like screen splitting technique. Nonetheless, we sit back and are enthralled by what is happening on screen. We're seeing one of the rare instances where Mr. Tarantino is able to transcend the influences of his forefathers by using all his acquired cinematic knowledge to propel him toward a bold new vision, instead of a sub-par retread of tired old tropes. In this scene, he updates and redeems all those sexed up, ridiculous fights that women had in those 70's exploitation films. In those films, even if the women were fighting for a noble cause (ending racism, sticking it to The Man, etc.) the meaning was usually overshadowed by the exploitation elements: namely, sex. Not here. These women refuse to be objectified. Even though they are technically characters in an exploitation-homage film, they have their training, confidence, cold-blooded-ness and and tenacity that overcomes the bogus standards set by a society that can put degrading constraints on even the noblest of women (wake up call: Rosie the Riveter wears eye shadow). They're not fighting to give any man a warm feeling in his pants. This fight is only about them: their hopes, fears, need for revenge, honor and glory--all wrapped up in a kung fu battle. I'm not saying that a woman has to fight like a man for her struggled to be valid. On the contrary, the most fascinating aspect of a non-sexist girl vs girl fight, is the femininity and how said femininity changes and evolves under pressure (same with masculinity). A woman always has the right to her femininity, even when she is in a struggle, but what the exploitation films did was degrade that femininity with sexism. With this fight scene Tarantino sought to right that wrong. This was almost #1, until I had a thought: even in his transcendence, Tarantino still remains an emulator. How could I ever give first place to the student without recognizing the master? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrZuYfti-pE