"You haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino." The tagline for Inglourious Basterds is certainly fitting, as Quentin Tarantino's take on the battles waged during World War II is definitely unlike anything you've ever seen. Sadly, when you disrupt the events and ideas many know as being historically accurate, you add even one more concept that works against the already arduous struggle for the suspension of disbelief. But it wouldn't be Tarantino without these brazen storytelling techniques, and fans of his elaborate style of movie making will find plenty to love with the ample servings of clever dialogue, spatterings of brutal violence, and a revenge story built for a truly explosive conclusion.
Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl) takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.
Tarantino's style of film making hasn't changed much between his last few films; fortunately he has a fairly unique approach to storytelling that works well, so the repetition is forgivable. Inglourious Basterds is typical Tarantino: drawn out, musing, thought-provoking and witty dialogue, an excessive attention to detail, chapters and flashing character name/title notifications, and a sarcastic, darkly humorous angle on over-the-top violence. "The Germans will be sickened by us!" yells fanatical, compassionless leader Raine. Some scenes drag noticeably with beefed up dialogue that never quite bores, but the culmination of events, the crossing paths of characters, and the outrageous climax more than makes up for the extra time Tarantino has the audience seated in a theater chair. It's unexpected, historically inaccurate, and no-holds-barred entertaining. And Christoph Waltz turns in an absolutely show-stealing performance as the calculating villain.
A slow-motion zap to the senses, with the Basterds turning the tables on history and the Nazis, Tarantino's obvious love of manipulation and movies finds its way into this offbeat war picture, along with in-depth conversations on Linder vs. Chaplin, strudels, milk and the expected racial remarks. He demonstrates his ability to toy with the audience through great musical selections, uneasy laughs to break up tension, a proficient arrangement of coincidences, and extreme anticipation - at times the suspense is delightfully overbearing. Considering Tarantino's sizable pop culture grasp on cinephiles and teenagers everywhere, it's safe to assume that for years to come people will be misspelling "inglorious" and "bastards" and will be unable to accurately retell key events of World War II.
- The Massie Twins (Mike and Joel Massie)
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