less than vintage Tarantino

Rating: 5/10 (27 November 2009)

It is schlock over substance in this WWII re-write from Tarantino. A film destined to be remembered solely for Christoph Waltz's chilling performance, this is a flabby outing from Tarantino that could have been so much better with some discipline in the editing room.
The story hardly matters, being merely the backdrop for the standard fare of bitter banter exploding into violence that we have come to expect from Tarantino. Amusing at first sight, these sequences do not stand up to repeat viewing, as most people's return to Pulp Fiction will testify. In IB, the sequence in the basement pub, where the Gestapo agent is introduced to rack up the tension, extends interminably. The Bear Jew is given a big build up to no real effect - by now, we know how this particular episode is going to end, diluting the visceral effect. Waltz is dazzling, sinister and absurd, and manages to eclipse an inspired performance from Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine. There is a truly laugh-out-loud moment when Raine gives us a display of his linguistic dexterity with regard to Italian. Mélanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus is plodding at best. At only one time did I experience a cinematic moment - when the film projects on to a wall of smoke.
At times this feels like Valkyrie, The Comedy. For Tarantino, success has led to bigger budgets, and a corresponding lack of people prepared to honestly critique the film in the making, which is why the hunger and discipline are clearly absent from this film. The film is neither dull nor memorable, and that just isn't good enough from a filmmaker who has set the bar so high for himself.