Glorious Inglourious Basterds

Rating: 8/10 (23 August 2009)

I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if a love affair with everything Quentin Tarantino isn't something that's obligatory for all movie lovers. Much like David Lynch in decades past though with a style uniquely his own, Tarantino uses extremes, foibles, twisted techniques, and editorial surprises throughout his films. This not only brings his cinematic brilliance to the fore, but takes each film and stamps it both as thoroughly unique and entirely his. That he also writes some of the most interesting and entertaining scripts in the business doesn't hurt his end product, either. Inglourious Basterds is no exception to the Tarantino legacy. In fact, I think it's one of his best.
"Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France," the film opens on the unlikely pastoral scene of a rural dairy farm. The farmer (Denis Menochet) is paid an unwelcome visit by Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) who is acting in his capacity as the infamous "Jew hunter." Landa, who never even momentarily raises his voice or behaves with less than the utmost civility, never-the-less gets his message across.
Not too many years later, the Inglourious Basterds are dropped behind enemy lines. The allied soldiers have an assigned mission that goes well beyond merely killing the enemy. They're charged with instilling fear into the hearts of those who are masters of terror propaganda themselves. That they succeed as well as they do is in no small part thanks to their commanding officer, Lieutenant Aldo Raines (Brad Pitt). Under Raines' orders, his men scalp, scar, and scare Nazis everywhere they go, and word of the Basterds reaches as far as the ear of Hitler himself.
Meanwhile, a French cinema owner named Emmanuel (Mélanie Laurent) has in reasons of her own to hate the Nazis. She and her partner Marcel (Jacky Ido), concoct a devious plan of their own to terrorize a few Nazis.
Meanwhile, a famous German actress named Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) is involved intrigue up to her pretty neck as she travels to Paris for a movie premiere.
Meanwhile, German war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl) blithely enjoys the adulation of his peers and those in command alike, not realizing for a moment that his very fame will end up landing him in the midst of a plot that will likely result in infamy as well.
Meanwhile...
There's more. A lot more. As you may recall from Tarantino's stunning Pulp Fiction, he's a master of the simultaneous telling of multiple stories that somehow all resolve into a whole in the end. While Inglourious Basterds doesn't offer quite the disparity between scenes you'll recall from Pulp Fiction, it does have any number of plot twists and turns involving any number of different people and locales. But it's a tribute both to Tarantino's brilliant screenplay and the editing of the film that it's far more confusing to write about than it is to watch.
Although it wouldn't seem so at first blush, Brad Pitt is perfectly cast as Aldo Raine. Another surprise? He's very funny. The rest of the cast is also more than up to its task. There's truly not a bad or even a mediocre performance in the bunch. But the standout here has got to be Christoph Waltz. His Colonel Landa is a horror, and yet he manages it all with an urbane, almost sympathetic mien. He's impossible not to fear and loathe, but his performance is nothing short of stellar.
While I could go into depth praising Tarantino's direction as well, suffice it to say he's up to his usual extraordinarily high standards. His creativity and genius for film is evident in virtually every frame. One Tarantino hallmark, of course, is his bent for violence, and Inglourious Basterds doesn't disappoint. There's more than a little graphically shed blood in more than a few graphically depicted ways. But somehow he has the gift of displaying such things in full and gut-wrenching color even as he does so in a cinematically beautiful way. I'm not sure how he does it, but I know it when I see it and it's spectacular. Spice that up still more with some totally inappropriate (but very funny) humor, and you've got Tarantino at the top of his game.
BOTTOM LINE: Only Quentin Tarantino would have the nerve to use World War II as a backdrop, but then change such well known history to suit his story. And frankly, only Quentin Tarantino could get away with it. His Inglourious Basterds won't be for everybody. But for everyone who appreciates movies for what they can be at their best, Inglourious Basterds is at the top of the heap of those that should not be missed.
FAMILY SUITABILITY: Inglourious Basterds is rated R for "strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality." I cannot stress enough that the rating board isn't kidding where the first three words are concerned. This is not a family film, nor is it remotely suitable for those younger than 16 or 17. In fact, those of any age who are sensitive to lots of blood on screen should go see something else instead.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: There are some truly fascinating stories behind the writing and filming of Inglourious Basterds not least of which are those involving the "movie within the movie." If you're interested, you can read more on the Internet Movie Database Web site.