"Inglorious Basterds"
Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth, B.J Novak, Diane Kruger, Mike Myers, Michael Fassbender
Grade: A-
Now that I've seen Tarantino's newest flick twice, I can give an honest and detailed review of its genius and audacity. Basterds has been Tarantino's dream for years, its part WWII, part film-noir, part spaghetti western. Tarantino has made his oddest film yet, a mix-mash of genre's that trusts itself more as a foreign "talkie," than it does an action film.
The film stars Brad Pitt, as Tennessean Lt. Aldo Raine. He commands a group of Jewish soldiers to each collect him 100 Nazi scalps, and in the process, make the Germans aware of the sadistic "Basterds" and there violent ways. Pitt sports an odd mustache and accent that turns his character into complete cartoon fashion, this being the only way Tarantino would have it.
QT blends narratives in a convincing way that would have the basterds story on one end, and the story of Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jew who witnessed the brutal murder of her family by Col. Hans Landa, played so matter a fact by actor Christoph Waltz, that Tarantino would have scrapped the film if Waltz couldn't do it. Waltz has probably turned in the year's best overall performance so far, already winning best actor at the Cannes film festival. His Hans Landa character is as sinister as he is charming. Many will hear his name in the coming months, during awards season.
The plot of the film goes as follows. Shosanna, having previously escaped the death grip of Landa, now runs a theater in France where a young actor/solider and director choose to show a film where all the Nazi high command and Third Reich will be in attendance. Shosanna seeks revenge, while the basterds aren't far behind, how will this all end? In a Tarantino film, anything is possible, and the film proves to the best of its abilities, that Tarantino is back in full form, pulling no punches.
The cast is filled with familiar faces, most of which turn in solid work, a few names to call attention to are Michael Fassbender as a former film critic and ally to the basterdes , Diane Kruger as double-agent/successful actress, and Melanie Laurent as Shosanna. Some detractors have said the film is without emotion, and drags along. Yes, the film is rooted in long, festering dialogue that goes on maybe a little too long, but get over it. Almost every scene serves its purpose, and in the end, Basterds is a better film for wearing its heart on its sleeve. It knows it's self-indulgent, QT knows hes borrowing from other films, but it's filled with signature touches that are sprinkled successfully throughout the film.
One may ask , where does this film rank in QT's filmography. It's definitely no match for Pulp Fiction, I liked it better than Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown, and if Kill Bill was actually one movie instead of two, I'd probably prefer Kill Bill. So I'll take Basterds over Kill Bill Vol. 1, but its probably a wash with Vol. 2.
Is this a new beginning for Tarantino? I'm not sure where he goes next, but he still possesses excellent storytelling techniques, remains a great eye for talent, and has re-claimed his status as a successful auteur in modern film-making.
