Well made with a brilliant Christoph Waltz but uneven and disjointed

Rating: 5/10 (9 December 2010)

Now I like Quentin Tarantino's movies on the whole, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs being my favourites of his. But Inglorious Basterds, as much as I wanted to like it, is not among Tarantino's best.
Granted it is very well made, with the cinematography and scenery amazing. Also the music is superb and Christolph Waltz is brilliant as the SS colonel being both charming and deliciously evil. Despite these high points, in my point of view it is just too uneven. Story-wise, it is essentially a series of vignettes and of variable quality too. There are some highlights such as the opening and the resistance-bar rendezvous, but there are some dull and bloated parts too unfortunately. The script has its fair share of wit but it is also some very stilted and ropey dialogue too. The characters come across as rather caricatured and clichéd, and the other acting is so-so at best. I actually think Brad Pitt gives one of his weaker performances here I'm afraid to say. And I also don't think Tarantino's direction is innovative or authentic enough, while I didn't thinmk much of the ending.
Overall it has its moments but these moments weren't enough as a whole. The result is a disjointed and altogether disappointing and somewhat self-indulgent effort. 5/10 Bethany Cox