Quentin Tarantino: Definitive Guide To Homages, Influences And References

Kill Bill Vol 1

16. The Title

Kill Bill seems to be Tarantino's only one dimensional title, without explicit reference to another film or genre - though of course its simplicity suits the revenge genre, and it could read as a reference to Russ Meyer's exploitation classic Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! in both the tone and the rhyme.

15. The Bride Wore Black

The plot itself, regarding a bride who is shot down on her wedding day and seeks vengeance, is exactly the same as Francois Truffaut's 70s movie The Bride Wore Black. She even seeks her revenge on five gang members, just like Uma Thurman's character does. Her husband is murdered, too, and she uses a notebook to mark her victims death - one of whom is even left as a "?", just like Elle Driver.

14. Citizen Kane

The sequence during the opening few minutes that reveals the Bride to be in a coma in the hospital as "My Baby Shot Me Down" plays, is a visual homage to the opening to Citizen Kane, as she is framed in a black-and-white shot in near focus and in silhouette just as Kane is before he dies.

13. Red Apple

Sofie Fatale, as well as being O-Ren's assistant, is a model for Red Apple cigarettes, as glimpsed when The Bride lands in Tokyo and walks through the airport.