This review contains spoilers. Read at your own discretion.
I saw Inglorious Basterds last night with my family (including my 93 year old grandmother). It was the quintessential Jewish bonding experience. The movie was practically perfect. I left with a certain glow about me. There have been countless films about WWII Nazi Europe, a majority of which tell a similar story: Nazi cruelty, the plight of the Jew, battles and military missions, etc. Tarantino takes this time in history and makes it entirely his own. He turns it on it’s head and plays it out the way in which we all desire. It gives us everything we need to feel glorioulsy triumphant at the end of the day. As my brother described it, it’s two and a half hours of porno for Jews. I’ll break this review into four distinct categories: Dialogue, The Basterds, Cristoph Waltz, and The Story.
Dialogue: True to Tarantino form, the dialogue is impeccable. With fluid and sometimes wildly humorous transitions between French, German, English, and Italian, we get an array of suspenseful, tension filled, and pleasantly obscure dialogue. Each character assumes his own persona, but it’s those of Brad Pitt, Denis Menochet, Mélanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz which shine the most. Relative to other Tarantino films, it trumps the Kill Bills’ quirkiness and rivals the esoteric and didactic style of Pulp Fiction’s Samuel Jackson and John Travolta.
The Basterds: The movie is a misnomer. It’s not entirely focused on The Basterds. It follows the plights of numerous characters, but it’s that of The Basterds which is most engaging. They’re a crew of Nazi-killing American Jews led by Tennessee native Brad Pitt. They kick ass in the most unabashed, inspiring, and merciless-bad-boy-let’s-fuck-them-up way possible. My only complaint is that I wish there were more Basterd scenes - I was craving some serious action.
Cristoph Waltz: Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars. Just give this man the Academy Award. Before Tarantino found him, his claim to fame was that of a German TV actor. I can assure you that will no longer be the case. This is the breakthrough performance of a lifetime. International stardom is on the horizon for this guy and he deserves it more than anyone else out there. He’s the only Nazi character in a movie with whom you’ll fall in love.
The Story: Perfection. The movie is divided into 5 disctinct chapters, two of which are stories in and of themselves. They’re suspenseful, the music is perfectly scored (what else would you expect from Tarantino?), and the plot is magnificent. Like I mentioned before, Tarantino took this piece of history and did exactly what he wanted to do with it - he burned Hitler and his council to the ground, but not before shooting off their faces with machine guns. It’s the most bombastically victorious WWII movie out there.
I’m not one for writing long reviews, or even reviews in general for that matter; however, this movie inspired me to do so. It really is just that good. If you’re a Tarantino lover, you’ll be thrilled. But more importantly, if you’re looking for an all-around satisfying, feel-good experience, this is it. In his own sick and twisted yet genius way, Tarantino has struck gold again.
