Inglourious Basterds

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl.

Written by: Quentin Tarantino

Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality.

Contrary to the previous film I reviewed, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds takes a more over-the-top approach to its World War II setting. The characters are colorful, the situations are often absurd and, despite its moments of gravity, there’s plenty of humor throughout that gives this film a greater sense of levity than most war films. Tarantino’s film is like watching a comic-book western set within Nazi-occupied France.

Watch out for this guy.

I’ve seen the film twice now. The first time I watched it, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It wasn’t what I expected. For a film called Inglourious Basterds, you really don’t see too much of them. They serve more as bookends to the film (Not counting the brilliant and incredibly tense prologue.) Also, I found the dialogue to be well-written but a bit self-indulgent. The seemingly incessant discussions of German cinema seemed to be less like entertainment and more like Tarantino showing off his knowledge (and obvious affection) of film.

Now that I’ve watched it a second time I enjoyed it a bit more (maybe because it was midnight when I watched it the first time.) When I kept my expectations in check, the dialogue didn’t feel quite so pretentious, the two-and-a-half-hour runtime didn’t drag as much, and viewing it as more of an ensemble piece helped to curb my initial disappointment. There was still some lingering dissatisfaction though. The myriad supporting characters are so well fleshed out but we only get to know something like four of the nine, or so, Basterds. Some of them don’t even have speaking roles.

...and don't give him any milk.

Those that do speak, however, ignite the screen. Brad Pitt is hysterical as Southern bootlegger turned ruthless Nazi scalp-taker, Aldo Raine: leader of the Basterds. His gruff accent, combined with a plethora of witty one-liners and overt facial expressions make him the comedic highlight of the film. However, that shouldn’t be seen as a slight against Christoph Waltz and his Oscar-winning portrayal of SS Col. Hans Landa. He’s able to elicit a hefty helping of laughter coupled with a seething layer of menace. You never feel safe when he’s on-screen because you’re never really quite sure what he’s going to do next.

That’s really the best thing about Inglourious Basterds. It’s always looking for ways to subvert your expectations. It’s something that I initially didn’t embrace but, once I did, it turned out to be a fun yet slightly bumpy ride. The film may seem insensitive regarding its subject matter, impartial to its characters, and detached from its narrative but, in the grand scheme of it all, it mostly works because it holds your attention in ways that few movies can: by always keeping you guessing; which is why I’m going to defer from going deeper into the story and let you go see it for yourself.

4 out 5