Quentin Tarantino is just one of those directors/writers that when one of his films are released, it is simply one of the occasions where missing out on school or work is perfectly legitimate. Prior to the release of Django Unchained, I had decided to watch Inglourious Basterds for the very first time. That was back in January.Tarantino is simply my favorite director. I adore his work. Every single one of Tarantino's films that I've seen are films I love with three of them already having a spot reserved in my all time top 10! However, Inglourious Basterds is Tarantino's one film that I wasn't sure whether it was a good Tarantino film or not when I first saw it. Due to my love for Tarantino's work, I decided to re-visit Inglourious Basterds and boy..can opinions change so much!
Not only is Inglourious Basterds the best film of the year, it is also one of the best films of its decade and is also one of Tarantino's top four films, in my opinion. Inglourious Basterds plays out in two separate storylines, dealing with a group of Jewish badass soldiers who call themselves the Basterds, led by Lt. Aldo Raine played by Brad Pitt, whose only job is to execute Nazis and teach them that the Jews are strong and have a strong taste for revenge! Lt Raine expects a 100 Nazi scalps from each of his soldiers and when news comes that the Germans are hosting one of their newest films, the Basterds take this as the opportunity to strike out the Nazis and clear the war. The Basterds plan co-incides with that of a young girl named Shoshana who fled from the Jew Hunter. After witnessing the remainder of the her family killed, Shoshana operates a cinema following her escape. When the film is convinced to be hosted at her cinema, she prepares to take her revenge once and for all. Pretty much, Inglourious Basterds is a revenge tale does in Tarantino style like 'Kill Bill' and 'Django Unchained'
Tarantino's biggest strength is undeniably, his mastery of writing and that is no denying. It is the core of his works and is no exception in this case. Inglourious Basterds is so full of amazing dialogue and provides us with plenty of laughs and frights. His writing is nothing short of masterful and his direction is just as same. A well directed Tarantino film is clearly evident from the amazing dialogue, the great story and sequences, interesting characters and fantastic soundtracks, which this film posses. The acting is unbelievable with scene stealers being, at the time newcomer, Christoph Waltz and Brad Pitt who give out amazing and energetic performances, giving it the very best they got! Other members of the supporting cast do a fantastic job, such as Michael Fassbender and narrator and Tarantino veteran, Samuel L Jackson!
There is this sequence early on in the film that features the Jew Hunter as he travels to a man's house, who is rumored to hiding Jews. He begins a conversation and comparison about rats and how the rats are indeed the Jews and that we humans, being the Nazis and others, would never let a rat enter the house because they are filthy, uncivilized and dangerous creatures. This sequence was full of clever dialogue, displayed amazing charisma from Waltz and had incredible amounts of intensity and laughs. This is indeed the first chapter of the story and despite going on for over 20 minutes, not at one point did I honestly find it boring, in the slightest. To be honest, there are two issues I had with the film, and honestly, they aren't huge issues. There is a ten minute period in a cafe featuring several Jews masquerading as Nazis in order to get into a cinema. In the cafe, this sequence plays along for a while with a few card games and guessing games, that it actually gets rather boring which is a sad thing to say, considering I have never been bored in most other Tarantino films but this is overlooked as the conclusion to this film is beyond explanation. The second problem being that several of the chapters of the film are subtitled and can be a little more frustrating to have to read, considering that this is fantastic dialogue. Even that is a slight issue.
My favorite character of the film would be Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of the Basterds simply because I'm a guy who loves revenge tales and the way his character operates is fantastic! He is intense, hilarious, deadly and doesn't take a 'no' for an answer. When he states that he demands a 100 Nazi scalps from each of his men, you really buy what he says. That line sums up his character perfectly! His enemy being Colonel Hans Landa is utterly fantastic. It is truly a pity that you can't support him throughout the film because he is truly one of the most intense and most memorable villains I've seen in a long time. His character is such an intense and grab you by the face man that every moment that he is on screen is one of intensity. That sequence late in the first chapter where he, in order to trick the hiding Jews, states to the owner of the house that he is indeed leaving and returns with his men is one of the most intense sequences. That scene allows everyone to buy Waltz's character.
The best sequences in the film, for my money, would be when Colonel Hans gives the signal for his men to shoot the floorboards, the scene with the cinema right at the end and the final scene of the film. That final shot of the film and the final line of the film is just pure Tarantino-ness! It couldn't have ended any better!
Inglourious Basterds is indeed a war movie and is to some extent, based off a 1978 movie as the title suggests. Some hate Basterds, stating that it depicts the Nazis as too violent and not deserving of the harsh punishments and realities they had to face against the Basterds and others love it, stating that this is a reminder that the Jews were strong and courageous people. I am one of the people who indeed think that this is a genius film, and despite being neither a German nor a Jew, I love this film for how it is directed, written and acted. I do love a good revenge tale, especially one by Tarantino! However, those who expect a straight up war film similar to Saving Private Ryan or Apocalypse Now will be sorely disappointed, because this is a Tarantino film, not an action film. Prepare to see more Tarantino in my top 25!!
Grade- A+
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