Inglorious Basterds

I have always had a love-hate relationship with Quentin Tarantino. I loved Reservoir Dogs, hated the Kill Bill series, enjoyed Pulp Fiction, and despised Jackie Brown. Although I have not sat through all of his works (I made a point to skip out on Death Proof), I can understand and appreciate a certain type of storyteller when I see him, and he has managed to create a style that has garnered some devout fans, and created even more ferocious enemies. It is with this give (and mostly take) relationship that I absolutely applaud the achievement that is Inglorious Basterds.

The name of the first chapter of the film (Once upon a time...in Nazi occupied France) captures the spirit of the film more than I can say in this review. The film is a fantasy that takes place in World War II. 300 was not an accurate retelling of the Spartan wars, and Inglorious Basterds never claims to be historically accurate, it is just the most historically interesting. Wouldn't it have been wonderful if nine Jewish American soldiers parachuted into Nazi-occupied France to disrupt and absolutely annihilate the Third Reich? Absolutely. And that is why we go to the movies.

The movie begins in Nazi-occupied France when Nazi Col. Hans Landa (Cristoph Waltz) shows up to a desolate dairy farm uninvited to search for Jews that he believes are hiding in the area. After one of the tensest and most subtle scenes in the film, he discovers that there are, and a teenaged woman named Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) runs away across the gorgeous French mountainside. Her story proves to be one of the most vital in the film, and Waltz as Col. Hans Landa shows that you do not need to have waggly eyebrows and a Heath Ledger tic to play an effective bad guy. He is just so damned charming, and yet he emits a sense of cruelty, chauvinism and evil that just eeks out of his body. I think it might be too early in the game to say that he deserves an Oscar to add to his best actor award from Cannes, but I would not protest if the fates worked in his favor that night.

Chapter 2 (yes, the movie is divided into six chapters) introduces us to "The Basterds", and they are the funnest parts of the entire movie. Every sequence with them is pure, unadulterated Nazi-killing fun, and the audience loves it. They strangle, shoot, suffocate, stab, and shatter the skulls of legions of Nazis because that is why you paid money to see the movie. And yet, they are absent for nearly half of the film. Inglorious Basterds does not follow the Inglorious Basterds, but instead gives a Pulp Fiction-esque introduction of characters and how their lives intermingled during World War II. Don't get me wrong, I thought the film was fantastic, but I would have been pleased to see WAY more of the Basterds. Brad Pitt offers a delightful turn as Lt. Aldo Raine, and although he is ridiculous and over the top, it fits in perfectly with this type of movie.

Now for the elephant in the room. Haters of Tarantino's movies may complain that the movie was long and boring with too many pointless scenes and extended sequences of dialogue. In a way, I can see how they would think that way, but many of the "long and boring" scenes kept me perfectly enthralled and riveted, and perhaps the people who hated the extended sequences of dialogue would have been better served by re watching the non-stop action of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen rather than listen to the diatribe of a master wordsmith. There is no shame in that if that is really what you want. Tarantino's "talky" scenes helped to build tension to make the significant scenes seem ever more significant. Although they do drag a bit every now and then, there are several scenes that would not have packed the wollop that they did if they had not been preceded by one of Tarantino's trademark chunks of dialogue.

Aside from its general writing and acting merits, you will find that Basterds has alot to say beneath its surface. It may take a me a few more viewings to fully understand it, but there are surely more layers to this already outstanding piece of work that need to be fleshed out. Sequences where Nazi-characters explain that their medals are for bravery and not for "killing Jews" sent shivers down my spine, and a scene where Waltz's character equates a Nazi's natural hatred for Jews to a human's natural hatred for a rat absolutely floored me. Several of the scenes brought humanity out of the Nazi soldiers, and a scene where hundreds of Nazi officers and generals watch a film about a Nazi that kills hundreds of Jews and they are whooping and hollering the same way your theater was when the Basterds killed Nazi soldiers on screen, it really forces you to think. They do not sympathize with the Nazi's, they just offer an interesting thought.

Inglorious Basterds is perhaps one of Tarantino's greatest achievements to date, although it may not be the "masterpiece" that he claims it to be in the final frame of the movie. It was an incredibly interesting and fun movie, and although it became quite self indulgent at times, it didn't fail to deliver. After all, they ain't in the movie makin' business, they're in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is boomin'.

A

If you enjoyed The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction or The Boondock Saints you may enjoy this movie.