Violent as hell...but I think Quentin Tarantino has made himself another good one

Rating: 10/10 (29 August 2009)

I wouldn't call myself a die-hard Quentin Tarantino fan, but I appreciate his work and the stories he tells in his movies. "Inglourious Basterds" is a true Quentin Tarantino film. It is another great film of his, but it is not his best.
When I say "Inglourious Basterds" is a true Tarantino film, it is a story made up of a bunch of other stories that are related and tied together for one big finale. This maybe considered a boring approach to a film, and yes, the movie does drag quite a bit, but it's still interesting.
Also, like in his other films, the characters conversations are made up of small talk and BS. In fact, there's scene halfway into the movie where several Americans are undercover, secretly discussing their plans while surrounded in a basement full of drunken Nazis. What seems to be a boring scene is intense, because you don't know if one of them might say or do something that might start the next "OK Coral Shootout".
Adding more authenticity, the characters that are German speak German. Those who are French, speak French. It gets somewhat tiresome in keeping up with the subtitles, but I personally like that Tarantino did this in his film. It makes the movie feel more realistic, while other Hollywood directors take the shortcut in having everyone speaking English.
In addition, the characters rarely tell the plot; rather it develops through the characters actions and their solitary schemes. This really helps humanize all the characters, most of which are quite despicable but you still love them and it hurts to watch many of them die horrible deaths. The Nazis are depicted as the "bad guys", but somehow Tarantino magically makes them people you can both pity and even respect.
The best performance in the whole movie, in my opinion, belongs to Christoph Waltz, who plays Colonel Hans Landa aka "The Jew Hunter". He doesn't just deliver his lines, he makes them flow in such a way that it complements his character. He's a guy to hate, but also one to respect. He's not a bumbling idiot, a stereotypical Nazi like in The Indiana Jones films, but a cruel, charming, and intelligent German soldier. I've never heard of Christoph Waltz before, but I hope at the very least he gets an Oscar nomination.
All the other actors are superb because they become their characters. The other two noteworthy performances belong to Melanie Laurent as Shoshanna and Brad Pitt as Aldo Raines. I've never heard of Melanie Laurent, but to me, her character, Shoshanna is the one I like the most. I consider her the "femme fatal". She's stunning gorgeous, but because of what the Nazis had done to her, she becomes a schemer who plots to kill Nazis but is marked by a complete, unanticipated downfall by her hatred. I hope she gets an Oscar nom in the supporting category too.
As with Brad Pitt, I consider his role as Lt. Aldo Raines as one of his best. He maintains a good "hick" accent, and he delivers some of the funniest lines ever while keep a straight face. It's easy to say he had a blast making this film. He probably won't receive a nom, but I'd keep my fingers crossed.
Overall, script, performances, direction, editing, and cinematography all excellent. I even enjoyed the music that Quentin Tarantino uses from the old "Spaghetti Westerns". It is somewhat ridiculous, but it actually blends into the film nicely.
But there are two things that prevent this film from getting a perfect score. One is the pass. There is some action in it, but most of it comes at the very end of the film for the big bloodbath. Some of the dialog was too drawn out and unnecessarily long. When a movie is over two hours, my butt starts itching in the theater seat. And the other thing is the violence.
I know that when I walked into the theater, I was in for a violent movie. In his past films, Tarantino over-exaggerates his violence, almost to the point that it is comical, like in the "Kill Bills". Some of the violence in "Inglourious Basterds" is rather comical, but most of it comes to the point that it is unbearable and sadistic. Tarantino has no limits in what he shows in his films, but I do. Some people can handle it, many others can't. It became too much for me.
In fact, I found it distracting from the story. I get the idea that Nazis are getting mowed down with machine gun fire, but it doesn't need to go on and on and on. I like this movie, but it becomes too much towards the end.