J: What would happen if you crossed “The Dirty Dozen” with “Kill Bill Parts 1 & 2”? Obviously, you would get “Inglorious Basterds”, a thoroughly entertaining, albeit very archetypal, Quentin Tarantino film.
I wasn’t a bit surprised to see the reviews for this film prior to opening – as with most of his work, you either love Tarantino or hate him. There simply isn’t a middle ground. You pretty much won’t ever see a Tarantino movie that gets two stars – as a reviewer you are either in or you’re out. I’m definitely an innie. Even if you didn’t know this was a Tarantino film when you walked in the theater you would know it for certain after the first ten minutes.
Inglorious Basterds is a pretty straight forward film with no particular twists, in keeping with traditional World War II movies – but with A LOT more violence which is most assuredly a QT trait. Particularly in the ways the Basterds come to be known by the Nazis – yes, what you heard is true so be prepared for the scalping scenes. I’ve never heard so many groans in a theater and believe me, I see a good many groan inducing movies. I have to say, my favorite scene in the whole movie is the opening scene that introduces Shoshanna, the Nazi Nemesis. What? You thought that was the leader of the Basterds, Lt. Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt)? Well, yes, he is the most obvious but Shoshanna (played by Melanie Laurent) is the most interesting as well as the most successful. But this opening scene is cleverly crafted and extremely heart wrenching in its drama. In fact, you might almost see the footprint of a Martin Scorsese film instead, proving that Tarantino is capable of as much pathos as anyone in the industry when he puts his mind to it. It is at the same time beautiful and horrible.
The film mainly concerns itself with the premier of a Nazi propaganda film about a young German war hero who slaughters several hundred Allied soldiers. When the hero, Frederick Zoller (played by Daniel Bruhl) becomes smitten (love that word and never get to use it enough) with Shoshanna, who is hiding in Paris under an assumed name and running a small theater, he presses propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) to bestow the “honor” of holding the premier in her theater. After she endures the surreal meeting with Goebbels, she realizes the opportunity of a lifetime has dropped in her lap and she begins her plot to bring down the Third Reich.
Enter the Basterds with the same goal. They will be working with a British agent who has been recruited by a classic Brit military officer played beautifully by Mike Myers in one of the two surprising cameos. What’s the other one, you ask? Well kids, prepare for your cinema lesson for today. During this meeting it is obvious Winston Churchill is sitting in but who is that actor playing him? A veteran actor, and one of my favorites, named Rod Taylor. Who is he? Want to see a really good movie? Watch the original “Time Machine” from 1960, not that horror that came out recently. Thanks to QT for the lovely homage! But I digress. The Basterds meet German actress and Allied sympathizer, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kurger – ho hum) and Operation Kino is born. And the Nazis oblige both would-be saboteurs by loading the cinema with every luminary, including Der Fuhrer himself.
The fly in this exquisite ointment is German Colonel Hans Landa, played entertainingly by Christoph Waltz, who walked away with a well deserved Cannes Film Festival award. He is undoubtedly the most interesting character in the bunch and pulls the one small twist at the end of the movie. Be prepared for a little bit of revisionist history but go with it anyway. What is my one little complaint? Basterds drags just a tiny bit in some places but not so much that anyone would be tempted to howl about how it could have been much shorter. Bottom line, I enjoyed it immensely and will definitely put it in my Netflix queue when it gets released on video. Kudos Mr. Tarantino and please don’t make us wait so long until the next one!
I wasn’t a bit surprised to see the reviews for this film prior to opening – as with most of his work, you either love Tarantino or hate him. There simply isn’t a middle ground. You pretty much won’t ever see a Tarantino movie that gets two stars – as a reviewer you are either in or you’re out. I’m definitely an innie. Even if you didn’t know this was a Tarantino film when you walked in the theater you would know it for certain after the first ten minutes.
Inglorious Basterds is a pretty straight forward film with no particular twists, in keeping with traditional World War II movies – but with A LOT more violence which is most assuredly a QT trait. Particularly in the ways the Basterds come to be known by the Nazis – yes, what you heard is true so be prepared for the scalping scenes. I’ve never heard so many groans in a theater and believe me, I see a good many groan inducing movies. I have to say, my favorite scene in the whole movie is the opening scene that introduces Shoshanna, the Nazi Nemesis. What? You thought that was the leader of the Basterds, Lt. Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt)? Well, yes, he is the most obvious but Shoshanna (played by Melanie Laurent) is the most interesting as well as the most successful. But this opening scene is cleverly crafted and extremely heart wrenching in its drama. In fact, you might almost see the footprint of a Martin Scorsese film instead, proving that Tarantino is capable of as much pathos as anyone in the industry when he puts his mind to it. It is at the same time beautiful and horrible.
The film mainly concerns itself with the premier of a Nazi propaganda film about a young German war hero who slaughters several hundred Allied soldiers. When the hero, Frederick Zoller (played by Daniel Bruhl) becomes smitten (love that word and never get to use it enough) with Shoshanna, who is hiding in Paris under an assumed name and running a small theater, he presses propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) to bestow the “honor” of holding the premier in her theater. After she endures the surreal meeting with Goebbels, she realizes the opportunity of a lifetime has dropped in her lap and she begins her plot to bring down the Third Reich.
Enter the Basterds with the same goal. They will be working with a British agent who has been recruited by a classic Brit military officer played beautifully by Mike Myers in one of the two surprising cameos. What’s the other one, you ask? Well kids, prepare for your cinema lesson for today. During this meeting it is obvious Winston Churchill is sitting in but who is that actor playing him? A veteran actor, and one of my favorites, named Rod Taylor. Who is he? Want to see a really good movie? Watch the original “Time Machine” from 1960, not that horror that came out recently. Thanks to QT for the lovely homage! But I digress. The Basterds meet German actress and Allied sympathizer, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kurger – ho hum) and Operation Kino is born. And the Nazis oblige both would-be saboteurs by loading the cinema with every luminary, including Der Fuhrer himself.
The fly in this exquisite ointment is German Colonel Hans Landa, played entertainingly by Christoph Waltz, who walked away with a well deserved Cannes Film Festival award. He is undoubtedly the most interesting character in the bunch and pulls the one small twist at the end of the movie. Be prepared for a little bit of revisionist history but go with it anyway. What is my one little complaint? Basterds drags just a tiny bit in some places but not so much that anyone would be tempted to howl about how it could have been much shorter. Bottom line, I enjoyed it immensely and will definitely put it in my Netflix queue when it gets released on video. Kudos Mr. Tarantino and please don’t make us wait so long until the next one!
K: Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Tarantino is a genius and only he can get away with making a movie like this. It's such an original film about Nazis. And the revisionist history was highly entertaining. If you don't see it in the theater put it in your movie queue.
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