Quentin Tarantino’s Academy award nominated epic, Inglourious Basterds, tells the tale of 8 Jewish-American soldiers led by Lt Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), dropped into Nazi occupied France in the heat of World War Two. They are assigned to do one thing and one thing only, kill Nazis. In an interweaving plot that also involves a Jewish cinema owner's (Melaine Laurent) seek for vengeance for the murder of her family by the cunningly evil Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). What transpires is truly a Tarantino fest of World War proportions.
Any discussion surrounding a Tarantino film, cannot begin without discussing the legendary auteur himself. In a time where star power reigns supreme, it is rare to find a director, who no matter which ‘big name’ actor features in his film, still remains the focal point of discussion surrounding the movie. Tarantino is one of the few remaining who commands such power. His stylization is truly unique, his use of dialogue unparalleled and all this culminates perfectly in Inglorious Basterds. The innovative concept, to apply the Tarantino stylization to a World War Two setting, is truly a stroke of genius. Although his flare may be more evident in the popular Pulp Fiction, in Inglorious Basterds, his film making traits breathe life into a genre which is not stereotypical for the director. Tarantino allows Inglorious Basterds to become a unique war film and like all of his other work, the picture thrives on his energy, suspense and outright violence.
The main focal point of the plot centers around the band of eight Jews led by Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine. For me, this is one of Pitt’s finest roles, on the same caliber as his performance as Tyler Durden in David Fincher’s Fight Club. Pitt is on top form here, able to deliver every expertly crafted line with it’s intended malice, witt or smoothness. His character is truly fascinating, and a compelling badass. Raine is consistently walking the line of action hero and comedic relief, but Pitt has the acting capacity to juggle and excel in both aspects. His character looms over the picture tremendously, despite only featuring in 3 of the films five chapters. Never firing a single gun, Pitt is tremendous at being a action hero with his most valuable asset being the amazing ammunition provided in the form of sharp, inspirational and in some cases hilarious dialogue.
However, the standout performance has to go to Christoph Waltz. In the role that propelled him to an Oscar, he masterfully triumphs as the Nazi’s answer to a sinister Sherlock Holmes. He delivers all his lines, be it in English, Italian or German, with a menacing brilliance. The best example of this is revealed in the first scene. Here Tarantino has crafted the perfect tense tennis match of conversation in which, with one line (be it in French or English), Waltz can just flip atmosphere and tone. He thrives in Tarantino’s meticulously crafted character, and I feel he handles the ‘big bad’ without falter. Waltz’s greatest accomplishment is his ability to steal every scene he is involved with. It’s an amazing accomplishment that a man, whom is not a physical presence, can dominate a scene with nothing more than his mannerisms, delivery and facial expression. Waltz as Landa, even overshadows Pitt in the scenes they share, in what is a triumph of a role.
The narrative is also a delight. The story twists and winds in the stereotypical Tarantino fashion, choosing to use a chapter structure which focuses on a variety of wonderful characters. The ending is terrific and certainly the point in the narrative where the plot quickens. Many may argue that the story, until the final third, is lethargic and slow, however I must disagree. Inglourious Basterds, although not as swift as the aforementioned Pulp Fiction, uses it’s time wisely to brood and tell a story in all its detailed novel fashion. The length is not unnecessary, as the dialogue deserves all the time to wash over the audience. Honestly, anyone with the vaguest of interests in screen writing will be blown away by this picture.
Despite Tarantino's public persona, as a person that can only be described as your embarrassing uncle, wearing a leather jacket who turns up to lecture you about how good he was in his peek, Tarantino the film maker has never been better than he is in Inglorious Basterds. For me, it revitalised a career, that after the second KIll Bill and Deathproof, was on the ropes. This is the film that restored Tarantino’s credibility and showed a director who can go past over the top violence (although much of that is still maintained) and tell a story.
My Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB: 8.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Did You Know?: In the scene where Diane Kruger is strangled, Tarantino was unimpressed by the initial shot claiming it did not have enough realism to it. Taking matters into his own hand, the director literally strangled Kruger for the scene.
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