Review: Inglorious Basterds
Editor’s Note: I have never seen Pulp Fiction. I know, I know, but I was told to see this first and then watch it so that’s what I’m doing.
In Quentin Tarantino’s new film, Inglorious Basterds, we are taken into a slightly alternate history where in World War II where a battalion of Jewish soldiers in the Allied Forces are assigned to Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), under the moniker “The Basterds”. Their mission is simple, kill Nazis, take no prisoners. The other story in the film involves a Jewish escapee, Shoshanna (Melanie Laurent), who tries to take revenge on the Nazis, specifically Standartenführer Hans Landa aka “The Jew Hunter” (Christohper Waltz). As one can expect these two stories meet and intertwine.
Inglorious Basterds is a fun movie to analyze. There are so many parts about this film that I like, so I’ll start with those. The thing that stands out most are the performances on display, most notably Christopher Waltz’s Hans Landa character. No matter what language he is speaking in (He speaks 4 in IB), he just displays this kind of calm anger and cockiness that just makes you hate his character so much. Credit has to go to both Waltz and Tarantino for really coming up with a perfect villian for this movie. Also, Brad Pitt, in a role that is much smaller than the trailer may make you think, is one of the best elements of the film. Its funny his character has many of the same elements as Hans Landa, with their cockiness and leadership, but Pitt plays Aldo, aka “Aldo The Apache”, with that aura of coolness that comes no naturally to him that makes you love the guy. I think if he was in the whole film, the fun of seeing him on camera may have waned, and I really think Pitt’s persona is perfect for playing supporting roles like this one.
The action sequences will have you pointing at the screen, being shocked and laughing plenty of times. Tarantino is a lover of movies, and I think he really gets what people want to see from an action stand point.
Now on to the problems I have with it. To put it into context, I can not stand Tarantino half hour dialogue scenes. Those scenes in Death Proof are some of my least favorites moments on screen in the last 10 years. Inglorious Basterds, doesn’t fall into that category, mostly because I feel he wanted to put more emphasis on the action towards the end. In fact, the 2 scenes that may fall into that category that star Christopher Waltz, are very interesting because you are on the edge of your seat because you have no idea what he is gonna do. However, there is a part in the middle of the film, its the bar scene, that I couldn’t help but look at the clock and pray for something to happen. Its not a poorly made scene by any means, its just that it isn’t particularly important to the plot or develop any meaningful characters or give us anything that truly matters. If you made that scene 15 minutes shorter, I would give this film at least half star better grade. This is a problem with Tarantino; he is just very self-indulgent (I realize I use that a lot, but it is relevant here), and an elite editor who isn’t afraid to say no, would do him wonders.
Despite that, Inglorious Basterds gets past its shortcomings and provides an interesting and fun adventure with great performances from Waltz and Pitt. The last 45 minutes are enthralling, and you shouldn’t miss it.
