Here’s an energetic, violent romp, a spaghetti Western, an edgy comedy that packs tremendous emotional wallop. It’s surprisingly sophisticated, something new for Quentin Tarantino. The enfant terrible has nearly abandoned the eccentricities of his youth to create a memorable, entertaining, and powerful film that’s as funny as it is dramatic. Inglourious Basterds may be a spelling disaster but as a movie it’s just the ticket.
Inglorious Basterds is a reworking of an Italian film about renegade Nazi fighting Jewish American soldiers and their murderous adventures through Occupied Europe. While the newer film is no masterpiece, it is worthy and thought-provoking and a brave new chapter for QT.
Tarantino exhibits unusual restraint in dealing with the subject matter. WWII stories require sensitivity and strangely enough, he has some. I personally prefer the new, less hokey QT and am chuffed to see him grow as an artist. He has matured cinematically, allowing the story to unfold without killing it with over- zealous styling.
Brad Pitt’s contribution to the film’s success is considerable, with a performance further proving that he is at the top of his game. His character is a natural follow up to a similar one he played in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Pitt is fearless in a heavily accented, physically and mentally unique character. He is well defined and carries the action, while completely inhabiting his renegade world.
Pitt plays a brilliant Tennessee soldier of fortune who rounds up a battalion of Jewish Americans street fighters. They are tough guys, who like him, want to kick some Nazi ass and scalp some Nazi head. Baseball bats, knives, and bare knuckles are the weapons of choice, and offer Q.T. his opportunities for grisly abandon. The Basterds are good at what they do and send waves of fear through the Third Reich. Even Hitler is frightened behind the screaming bluster.
A woman whose family was killed by German soldiers owns a Paris theatre that becomes the focus of the action. A German film hailing a Nazi soldier’s brutal victories is to make its premiere there. The top echelons of the Third Reich will be in attendance, inspiring more than one assassination plot, including hers. It’s a collision of conspiracy with a bit of wish –fulfillment thrown in.
The story is told in chapters with occasional graphic markers, just enough to tolerate and not enough to distract from the meat of it. Tarantino’s music choices are sublime, from moody moments to a techno mashup of Fur Elise to Cat People (Putting Out Fire) to What’d I Say? Moody and fun, a typical Tarantino grab bag of disparate sounds.
As ever Tarantino casts outside the box with German actress Diane Kruger (whom he initially didn’t believe was German enough), Eli Roth, the man behind the Saw franchise as the Jew Bear, mesmerising German actor Christoph Waltz as the baddest Nazi under Hitler and a screaming Martin Wuttke as the baddest of them all, Hitler himself.
Tarantino continues the tradition of introducing exciting international artists to American audiences, this time from Europe.
But longtime Q.T. collaborator Samuel L. Jackson narrates the film, and Mike Myers plays an English General. Myers isn’t convincing as he is tied to similar characters he’s satirised in previous films and skits. It’s a small blip.
Tarantino is reportedly working on a prequel in which Cloris Leachman will appear – can’t wait.
35 mm action adventure
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