Earth to Quentin, earth to Quentin

Rating: 2/10 (10 January 2013)

Like many others, I became a fan of Quentin Tarantino when I saw the iconic Pulp Fiction. Sadly, it has all been downhill since then and with Inglourious Basterds he really trawls the depths. I have no objection to Tarantino's penchant for gratuitous violence, it has served a purpose in cinema from the time Moe first poked Larry in the eye in the Three Stooges (and probably before). However in this film Tarantino seems intent upon presenting sickening violence that is not so much gratuitous as irrelevant. In Pulp Fiction the violence was cleverly and eccentrically presented - in this film it is neither. The story is not even loosely based on fact - which is just as well because if it were, the number of Americans in the dock at Nuremberg would have exceeded the number of Nazis. The characters are boorishly stereotypical and - even in a film deliberately seeking unbelievability - lack any trace of credibility. The most notable example is the portrayal of the Nazi colonel by Christoph Waltz (presumably a nom-de-plume to protect his true identity - and his career?). The character emerges as a sort of Hogan's Heroes meets La Cage aux Folles, with the colonel camping it up and smoking a ludicrously huge pipe. Sadly, this film is further evidence - if any was needed - of the demise of a once creative genius. If I ever have any grandchildren, I will be able to tell them that I remember when Steve Martin was funny and when Quentin Tarantino was talented - but will they believe me?