Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic and homage to the great spaghetti westerns finds 3 intersecting stories, in true Tarantino fashion. One story revolves around Lt. Aldo Raine, Brad Pitt's redneck soldier, and his band of Jewish-American soldiers showing no mercy to Nazi's in France, the other story is that of Shoshana Dreyfus, a survivor of a Jew extermination who has big plans for her movie theater. The last is that of the "Jew Hunter," one of the more ruthless Nazi officers who show no mercy to the Jewish. There storys take an explosive turn at Shoshana's movie theater.
After the long-winded Kill Bill, although I really liked Vol. 2, and the bland Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds is a return to form for Tarantino, relying heavily on snappy dialogue, controversial violence, and unforgetable performances from his actors, yet it is able to stay fresh mixing elements of the WWII period and spaghetti westerns, especially the music, creating a brand new outlook on the past.
The story itself was split into 5 chapters. The first one, "Once Upon a Time … in Nazi Occupied France," is superb. This is where Landa truly shines. Col. Landa and his men arrive at a French farm to interrogate the owner about claims that he may very well be hiding Jews. It is unforgettable and one of the tenser scenes to ever be shot for cinema. The second chapter, "Inglorious Basterds," is are first introduction to the titular heroes and their violent and merciless methods. It is truly crazy and over-the-top. It is the chapter for Tarantino to truly cut loose, living up to the legacy that so much controversy has created. This is followed by "German Night in Paris." This is where the story catches up with Shoshana and introduces a lot of exposition for what is to come in the film's climax surrounding the movie theater and Pvt. Zoller. Unfortunately, the movie lost a lot of its pacing here, but the performances stay strong regardless. Next up is "Operation Kino," probably my second favorite chapter after the first. It revolves around a meeting of the Basterds, a German double agent, and a British middle man. Not only my second favorite, it is also the second most tense scene, as the German native members of the Basterds as well as the German speaking British soldier find themselves among the enemy in a small, basement pub. The only thing that really is bad about this scene is the quite hectic editing of the ensuing gun fight that makes who shot who very hard to discern. The fifth chapter is the explosive climax and following conclusion, Aldo and Landa face to face. A decent ending, but chapters 1 and 4 are easily the best.
The acting is phenomenal. Brad Pitt puts his underrated sense of humor to good work as the outlandish Aldo. B.J. Novak, Michael Fassbender, Gideon Burkhard, and Til Shweiger all perform well too as his more seen Basterds. Even Eli Roth, a career director, does well as the Boston-bread "Bear Jew." The beautiful Diane Kruger performs effectively, but is out-shined by Melanie Laurent, who plays the very cold and shut in Shoshana aiding in the creation of one of Tarantino's better female characters. Daniel Bruhl is an exciting actor to watch. He brings so much charm and likeablitiy to his character that it is even more surprising and scary to see his dark side come out near the last moments of the film. The performance that really stands out is that of Christoph Waltz, who plays "Jew Hunter" Landa. A truly frightening villain who seems tickled by the death and destruction he creates. I would compare him to Gary Oldman's Stansfield role from, Leon. There isn't many roles or performances that could have you laughing and on the edge of your seat at the same time.
The last line of the film, "I think this may be my masterpiece," has been noted as being Tarantino's opinion of this movie, but I can't help but disagree. Pulp Fiction was fresh while staying familiar. It was creative, inventive, and inspired hundreds of knock-offs. It included some of the better lines and images of '90's cinema. Until he makes something even better, Pulp Fiction will remain Tarantino's masterpiece.
Inglourious Basterds, while oddly paced and unfocused on its titular heroes, remains an exceptionally inventive, well-made, and fun film. Easily Tarantino's better scripts, second only to Pulp Fiction, and one of the more incredible villain performances in some time.
9/10
