Tarantino presents us with a spaghetti war film.

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2010)

Quentin Tarantino's latest yarn is a work that throws the history books out the window and instead presents us with a spaghetti war film.
The film is divided into five separate chapters, the first two setting up our main characters, the middle two serving as Act II, and the final one providing our conclusion. Spread throughout these five parts are two major plot threads. The first introduces us to a French farmer, who is hiding a family of Jews beneath his floor, nervously welcoming a meticulous Nazi SS Officer, Hans Landa (Christopher Waltz), into his home. Landa is known in France as The Jew Hunter, owing to his uncanny ability at seeking out even the most well hidden Jews. The visit ends in Landa's soldiers slaughtering the Jewish family beneath the floor, leaving their daughter Shosanna (a lovely Mélanie Laurent) an orphan. The second deals with a misfit band of brutal Jewish-American soldiers lead by Lt. Aldo Raine (Bradd Pitt) known as the Basterds, who are on a mission behind enemy lines to kill as many Nazis as possible and strike fear into the regime's heart.
The greatest strength of the film is in its presentation of these two plots and their inseparable relationship to each other despite the confident air that they each possess enough weight to carry their own films. While Soshanna and the Basterds each have their own personal motivations, they are both pursuing the same goal: to reign down death upon the Nazi party. The first chapter of the film provides Shosanna with a tragic reason for revenge, while the second shows us how much the Basterds enjoy killing Nazis. When the Nazi command decide to show their latest propaganda film to all high ranking personnel in Shosanna's small theatre, it is inevitable that both the Jewish girl and the Basterds will be unable to resist the turkey shoot. Everything in this film is leading towards that conclusion, the showdown at the OK Corral, the stand off in the cemetery. It all fits together so brilliantly, yet separately. It's almost like two separate films with different plots that are leading to the same final film of a trilogy.
Some may be disappointed to learn that the film isn't as action packed and bloody as the trailer seems to profess, but this isn't necessarily a weakness. Tarantino is known for his pop culture influenced dialog and while this is somewhat impossible with this film's period setting, he still manages to infuse the film with his vast knowledge of cinema through references to obscure foreign films of the time. While some scenes do get a little windy, there is usually a great amount of tension present in them that seems to heighten as the dialog plods along. Such an infusion of suspense amongst the references make them easier to put up with and forgive. One fine example of this device is the scene in which Shosanna is speaking with Nazi propaganda leader, Joseph Goebbles (Sylvester Groth), about the use of her theatre for the premiere of his latest film. We know who Shosanna is, we know that she is a Jew who narrowly escaped death, and when Landa steps up behind her the tension reaches a breaking point. It's brilliant and keeps the film moving despite the constant regressions into seemingly pointless references.
This working relies heavily on the strength of the actors and thankfully they are all up to the challenge. Special mention goes to Christopher Waltz for his portrayal of Landa, one most deserving of the acting award he won at Cannes. His character is incredibly sadistic and frightening, yet also charming and funny in a manner that calms you despite the fear and uneasiness he inspires. He's the sort of man you want to invite to dinner even though you are literally shaking in your boots throughout the main course. Mélanie Laurent is fantastic as Shoshanne, injecting into the character a sadness and passionate lust for revenge that is buried beneath a rather humorous exterior that we are allowed to witness through her interactions with an annoying German actor (Daniel Brühl), who is smitten by her. When the final act finally rolls around, she is clad in a stunningly red dress with her desires laid bare, a femme fatale with hate and revenge filling her heart. A final realization at the end of the film is played perfectly by her, one of the most touching moments in the film. And what of Brad Pitt? While certainly the weakest of the three leads, he does not disappoint, nor do I mean that as an insult. His larger than life Aldo Raine is hilarious and provides the movie with a hero that seemed to have walked straight out of cinematic legend.
It his perhaps his character that best summarizes what this movie is: a passionate tribute to cinema. Whether it be the very Sergio Leone vibe the movie gives off, or the constant references to cinematic history, this film oozes with Tarantino's lifelong obsession, one that I happily share with him. The film isn't without its weak points, a fairly disjointed structure being the most apparent and hard to gloss over, but the love that flows through its veins and the power of its characters manage to make it shine despite these rough edges. "Inglourious Basterds" works tremendously and may very well prove to be one of Tarantino's most important pieces, though not his best. It's a World War II film for those who love the fable like quality of aforementioned Leone's westerns, a World War II fairytale, if you will. It isn't supposed to be accurate, or even typical. It is a film that only Tarantino could deliver and I can honestly and happily say that I'm glad he did.