After being gunned down at his engagement party by the Deadly Sapmi Assassination Squad, Jompa (Stig Frode Henrikson) is brutally shot in the head. He is now trapped in a coma and presumed dead by his would-be killers. If that plot sounds a lot like Kill Bill, it’s because it’s the plot to the 2007 Norwegian remake Kill Buljo. Though Jompa is not the renowned assassin, the Bride is in the source material; instead, Jompa is a likable but dim-witted slacker with oozing incompetence. Despite the lack of skills or training, Jompa does share one quality with the sword-wielding Bride of Kill Bill, an unquenchable desire for revenge. And after waking up from his coma, Jompa has just one thing on his mind: to kill Buljo.
Though often called a remake, Kill Buljo‘s relationship with Kill Bill is much closer to Scary Movie‘s relationship with Scream. The film is a parody from start to close, spoofing The Shining, Tomb Raider, and Bond films, all while satirizing stereotypes of Norway. Where some satires at least pretend to have a serious plot, no such notions are present in Kill Buljo. Stars and writers Tommy Wirkola and Stig Frode Henriksen wear parody like a badge of honor, always steering the film towards the next big gag.
“…gunned down at his engagement party by the Deadly Sapmi Assassination Squad…”
Kill Buljio hits all the gags you would expect and more with gusto. Buljio’s motivation for violence is creating more tourism for his land and eventually building a water park. That is just the tip of the absurd style of director Tommy Wirkola. The deaths of each Assassination squad member are more over-the-top than the previous, the film features a massive snowmobile chase, and the Pai-Mei-style training montage feels at home in something like Kung-Pow: Enter the Fist. This film has no half-measures; everything is committed to setting up the next niche joke or subverting audience expectations.
Tommy Wirkola has a genuine love for Tarantino, which shows in the sharp detail labored into each spoof. Every bit of satire and self-awareness in the film adds to its unique meta-black comedy take on the world of Kill Bill. It feels equally like an early Scary Movie installment, Return of the Killer Tomatoes, and a plethora of other satires because, like Tarantino, Wirkola takes influence from an abundance of films, just in a weird and wacky format. Some jokes land better than others but Kill Buljo is wickedly funny- funnier than it should be. This parody is packed to the brim with dark, slapstick, and idiotic brands of comedy.
Whether you categorize the film as a parody or an outright remake, the Kill Buljo takes you on a larger-than-life journey toward revenge with more flare, fake blood, and far more laughs than expected. It’s a strange and silly film, enjoyment hinges on one’s love of silliness. But the film is fantastic, not in an effortlessly cool Tarantino way, but in a low-budget campy culty midnight-movie sort of way. Which isn’t that what made Kill Bill great? How it took influence from all the great campy culty midnight-movie Kung-fu films. It’s a must-see film for fans of Kill Bill for the sheer fact this film exists, but plenty of Tarantino devotees will love this for the spoofy, playful, raunchy satire it is.
