War is hell, but even hell has its humorous side

Rating: 8/10 (12 September 2009)

Not having read the user comments section of this web site before I saw the movie (I had read a couple of favorable critical reviews), I was quite taken aback by the divided response. No-one walked out of the packed session I went to. For one thing, it passed the watch test – in the 150 minute running time I looked at my watch not once. The blend of comedy, film buffery and action overlays some seriousness of purpose. Yes, in war both sides are capable of atrocities and generally commit them without much thought. Yes, some Nazis were witty, intelligent and charming, if not actually lovable. Yes, the world would have been a different place if Hitler and his gang had been disposed of in the summer of 1944. This is entertainment, not history, however, even if the German uniforms and wartime French bars are painstakingly reproduced.
I thought the whole thing was very well constructed. The 5 long "chapters", with their own denouements are all carefully linked. Apart from the final catharsis, they all feature the quiet build-up of tension through conversation to an almost unbearable degree – final moments of mayhem come as a relief. Yes, it's a very talky movie but the dialogue has many flashes of brilliance. I'm sorry for all those who don't like subtitles – I thought they were well used. But wasn't there too much sadism, blood and gore? That's war folks.
Even the sternest critics concede the Austrian actor Christoph Waltz put in a stunning performance as Colonel Landa the urbane SS Jew hunter. Brad Pitt's hillbilly chief basterd, Aldo Raine, was somewhat overshadowed, but it was not a very demanding part. Melanie Laurent as Shosanna, the young Jewish cinema owner bent on revenge, relied more on her beauty than histrionics, but her presence was unforgettable. It was nice to see that Rod Taylor at 80 can still do Churchillian tones. About the only below par performance was Mike Myers ("Austin Powers"), totally miscast as a British general. Daniel Bruhl from "Goodbye Lenin" was excellent as Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels' blue-eyed boy who falls for Shosanna.
As for the film buffery, some I appreciated, some went over my head, and some was below my radar, but I can't say it interfered with my enjoyment of the film. I didn't really see this movie as a spoof of the World War II film genre, a major part of my movie diet when I was growing up. Tarantino has added something of his own here – he's Spielberg with a sense of humour and an understanding of that allegedly rare American trait, irony. As the unfortunate (and unfortunately named) Lt Archie Hicox), film critic turned not terribly successful secret agent, might have said "I await with eager anticipation and great trepidation this director's next work."