Quentin Tarantino has created a movie with “Inglourious Basterds†that is assembled from everything he has admired in the past. The title and the title only is taken from a 1978 B-movie featuring Fred “The Hammer” Williamson and Bo Svenson. Then he added in a storyline that has a fondness of movies like “The Dirty Dozen” and “Kelly’s Heroes.” This would all be enough for the film to be a cut above the competition, but he provides an art-house foreign approach to a major portion of the plot, with his love for cinema and appreciation for exploitation  pictures, effectively fleshing out one of the most unique movie going experiences in recent memory.
The mood is instantly set, upon traveling back to a spirit of film-making that was present in the seventies, as we watch a man working hard on his farm. The Nazis approach the farm and what takes place soon after is a twelve-minute brilliantly written interrogation scene. It’s the type of scene that Tarantino wrote years earlier for Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken in “True Romance”- it starts off innocently enough, but it creates an uneasy, but brilliant tension. That tension continues to follow us through the two and half hours.
The film is broken up into five chapters, which is a novel approach to the movie and rightfully so because many unusual concepts are being applied here. However, it is chapter two that introduces us to the Basterds, who are a Jewish group of soldiers that take pride in Nazi killing. An extremely violent, yet crucial scene allows us to know that these men are serious about what they do.
A scarred Brad Pitt is nothing short of amazing in his portrayal of the southern Lt. Aldo Raine (Which should remind you of the actor Aldo Ray). His neck has a rope burn on it that is never explained and adds some mystery and experience to the character. Raine is the type of character that was big in the sixties- you could just imagine Lee Marvin playing him and amazingly, Pitt is equally good in that type of role. He also has away of leaving an indelible mark with the audiences.
He is supported by Eli Roth as Sgt. Donny Donowitz and his performance proves he is a better actor than director. Donowitz loves what he does and is effective with a baseball bat when it is required (Probably how he got the nickname “The Bear Jew”)
Throughout the movie, references are made to the exploitation universe because there is Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz, who was an actor that appeared in “Tintorera.” Also when a name change is needed for him to conceal his identity, Donowitz becomes Antonio Margheriti who directed “Cannibal Apocalypse” and “Yor: The Hunter from the Future.”
However, the Basterds are just a unique sub-plot because the main focus is on Shosanna Dreyfus (Played marvelously by a French actress named Mélanie Laurent). Dreyfus has shades of the Bride in “Kill Bill,” but is a much more realistic character. She wants revenge on the Nazis for an early atrocity committed on her family. She runs a movie theater and when the Nazis want to premiere the latest Joseph Goebbels picture she concocts a brilliant plan to end the war.
The stunning cinematography and the handling of these scenes in the original languages of French and German add a new dimension to the picture which amazingly syncs up well with the American sub-plot. This is truly unlike anything you have seen before.
A special mention must be made for Christoph Waltz, the milk loving villain of the piece, Col. Hans Landa. He is a charismatic and sharp Nazi detective that takes pride in his interrogations, and even though you hate his action you can’t take your eyes off his talented acting abilities. Waltz was born in Vienna Austria and adds a dash of authenticity to his authority in the role.
A brief cameo by Mike Myers reminds one of the early days of Peter Sellers and is a welcomed treat.
So, who cares if Tarantino rewrites history with an brutal ending. In the end, it’ll leave you awe-inspired and is his best film since “Jackie Brown.”
Ultimately, “Inglourious Basterds” can best be summed up with Pitt’s closing line, “This is definitely my masterpiece.”
Perhaps it was Tarantino speaking if so, it’s rightfully so.
He should be proud of the movie he made.
“Inglourious Basterds†isn’t what you’d expect from the trailers on TV. Rather than being a slapstick comedy, it possesses elements of classic war movies, with a bit of Tarantino flair. Sure, there are moments of hilarity, but for the most part, this is a war film that oozes with style. Nonetheless, it does have a tendency to drag a bit and will get you restless at times, waiting for the plot to develop. However, that same restlessness is felt by the characters in the film, as they know too that they are spending too much time in particular places and must escape before they can set their plan in motion. This is a completely different movie experience because of that and something that must be seen to believed. With all the hype around it, “Inglourious Basterds†lives up to it and then some, as it’s one of the best films this year.
– Patrick Hickey Jr.
Leave a Reply