12. The Bride a.k.a Black Mamba a.k.a Beatrix Kiddo- Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2
Though Tarantino is praised for many things as a writer and a director, something he isnt regularly praised for is writing strong, complex and interesting female characters. This is strange, as though in certain Tarantino scripts women dont play a big part; in Reservoir Dogs there isnt even one female character in the film, the scripts which do feature female characters just so happen to have some of the most independent, strongest and totally kick-ass female characters in modern cinema. I feel that Tarantino has a high level of respect for women, as can be seen with the characters of Jackie Brown, a strong lead character who plays cops and criminals off one another, and Shosanna Dreyfus who is responsible for burning down her own cinema in the hope of taking down Hitler and the entire Nazi party. However the most memorable and iconic female character that Tarantino has ever created, as well as being the most noble, heroic and badass, is certainly The Bride. The Bride, or Beatrix Kiddo, or Black Mamba, whatever you prefer to call her, is certainly up there with the likes of Django and Aldo Raine, in terms of great Tarantino heroes, and isnt too far a stretch to say she is probably one of the greatest cinematic heroes of the 21st century. Fom her legendary sword fight with the Crazy 88s, to her gruelling training with Pai Mei, she can be seen as heroic, noble and certainly admirable. Her iconic jumpsuit and lack of mercy in terms of wanting to inflict her rightful revenge on Bill and the rest of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, also makes her a daunting and ruthless character. Though I am not a massive fan of Uma Thurman, as aside from appearing in roles specifically written for her by Tarantino, the rest of her career leaves a lot to be desired, there is still no doubt that she made the character of The Bride totally her own, and not only will it be the film role she will always be best remembered for, but there is no doubt the character and the two films she starred in, will go down as icons of the noughties.