Tarantino's Finest Hour... So Far

Rating: 8/10 (25 September 2009)

Finally, after weeks of wanting to see Inglorious Basterds, I finally got to watch it. Firstly, let me say that this is no Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction - it's far too mature a film for that. What you have here is a raw, unadulterated two hour and something cinematic experience that will have you on the edge of your seat for the best part.
Fans of war movies will adore it, fans of Quentin Tarantino's work will revere it. Those who have worked tirelessly over the years to remove this sort of film from cinemas will be despairing - for if it were the 1980's, this would have been cut to ribbons, or perhaps even banned.
Nonetheless, it's compelling stuff. The characters have been so well developed and spliced together that suspension of disbelief is almost instant. The first ten, nail biting minutes in which Colonel Hans Landa (aptly nick-named 'The Jew Hunter') carefully interrogates a French dairy farmer, are perhaps among the finest suspenseful cinematic moments I've ever watched - and it's this feeling that something awful is about to happen that permeated the whole film, with no real let up save for the occasional break for some humorous banter - which only serves to lull the viewer into a false sense of security.
The film as a whole has pretty much everything going for it - a great cast, a fantastic soundtrack, an awesome script and direction to die for. The running time literally flies by, and before you know it, you've been thrust out onto the cinema lobby wondering why it didn't last just another hour longer. As mentioned before, this film strikes me as a real coming-of-age for Tarantino, who has often been accused of being something of a two-hit wonder in the past, with the likes of Jackie Brown and Death Proof being disregarded by many critics.
Inglorious Basterds is not only Tarantino's finest hour to date, it may yet prove to be his masterpiece. It's a much more mature effort from QT than has been seen before - even though there is plenty of darkly humour to be found - and the characters really are so set in stone that it's impossible to get them confused, perfectly played and carved with such finesse that the viewer immediately identifies with at least one from the word go.
A word of warning, however. Basterds is not for the faint of heart - there are scenes of scalping and mutilation that may make some a little queasy - but none of it appears to be gratuitous, in fact on the contrary. Sgt. Donny Donowitz (a.k.a. The Bear Jew) has returned to Germany to wreak revenge on Nazi platoons who happen to cross his path - and revenge happens to manifest itself in the form of a baseball bat. The scenes involving the 'Bear Jew' administering his own special brand of punishment are extremely graphic as is much of the film. But don't let this put you off.
Inglorious Basterds is a superb cinematic effort, and no expense has been spared. For purists, it may be a little too 'fairytale like' - but for the laymen, it will provide you with more than enough bang for your buck. Make sure you buy enough popcorn - if you can stomach it, that is.
I'm giving this 8.4 out of 10, rounded down (please IMDb, install a more sophisticated scoring system). Go see IB today - fantastic stuff!