Operation Kino: A WWII movie that revolves around the world of cinema

Rating: Null/10 (8 May 2010)

Quentin Tarantino puts his spin on WWII escapism. Some of the violence may shock and disturb you, but the movie isn't the Nazi-killing shoot-'em-up some viewers may expect. In fact, Brad Pitt's guerrilla squad of Nazi-killers is only one ingredient in the wartime narrative tapestry, and only has a couple good scenes. This film is dialogue-driven and spoken in several natural languages, with English subtitles as needed. (In a movie where French people don't speak German and Germans don't know Italian, it wouldn't do to have every character speak English for the audience's convenience.)
The movie is broken up into five chapters, each dealing with a specific aspect of the larger plot. One part is about a French girl meeting with Nazis interested in her cinema. Another part is about Brad Pitt's guys and their secret mission. In the final chapter, all of the stories meet at a movie premiere attended by high-ranking Nazi officials.
Quentin Tarantino is, above all, a cinephile. His movies reflect his wide knowledge of and respect for films and filmmakers. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS may be Tarantino's biggest tribute to all things cinema. It's filled with references to foreign films and film history. (e.g., Goebbels is compared to David O. Selznick.) The plot even leans heavily on the motion picture industry. The main character owns a theatre. A key character is a German movie star. The climax is set at a movie premiere. The Nazis' big "scheme" in this film is to show their propaganda movie. The theatre, the projection room, and even the film reels themselves play big roles in the story.
Tarantino gives WWII a spaghetti western feel, complete with epic Ennio Morricone music. He sprinkles in his signature cultural references to film and literature (dating far enough back for the 1940s setting). And although this is undoubtedly a period piece, Tarantino spices up the storytelling with stylish flashback inserts (narrated, randomly, by Samuel L. Jackson) and some super-imposed labeling. The inconsistent use of such novelty devices, however, comes across as messy in my mind.
Still, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is a decent film that, if you pay attention, will make you think. Nazis are always thought of as the "bad guys", but this film shows the enemy soldiers as real people, doing their job and fighting for their country. Sure Hitler is shown as a maniacal caricature and the Nazi officers are casual racists, but the movie gives the "bad guys" (the German soldiers) a human face. Some brutal and inhumane things are done to the Germans by the "good guys", and the viewer can't cheer these actions on. Does each individual soldier deserve to be held accountable for the evils of his regime?
The main players in this revenge-against-the-Nazis yarn are Christoph Waltz as the shrewd and well-mannered S.S. detective, Melanie Laurent as the surviving daughter of a massacred Jewish family, and Brad Pitt as the leader of the Basterds. Diane Kruger plays a German actress/spy, Michael Fassbender plays a British soldier chosen for a secret mission, and Daniel Bruhl plays a humble German war hero. As you can see, it's an ensemble piece, with several characters' destinies intertwined. (But, like other Tarantino films, don't expect many characters to survive to the end.)
Again, I warn that this is not an action movie and that the Basterds don't really take center stage. Tarantino tackles period films and foreign languages for this effort, but there are hints of his signature style throughout.
7.5/10