Tarantino again.

Rating: 9/10 (5 March 2010)

Quentin Tarantino has made some of the best movies of recent memory. Pulp Fiction and Reservior Dogs were instant classics. But his endeavor into the Kill Bill's was almost a career ender. I won't even talk about Death Proof. I'm just glad he is back in his true form: good characters, great dialog, unwinding plot.
Great characters. Brad Pitt shines out even with his terrible southern accent (Im sure Tarantino wanted it to be as ridiculous as possible). The two ladies are great in their equally cunning roles that has you wondering which side they're really on. The minor roles of the Basterds are all great, with props to the Bear Jew, who plays his strong/silent guy as one of the best I've ever seen. But the real stand out is the villain, the Nazi Colonel Hans Landa. An absolutely brilliantly developed character that Christoph Watlz nailed in his performance. He better win an Oscar, he's won every other award possible for a supporting role.
Dialogue. Any good Tarantino movie is about ninety percent dialog. Look at Pulp Fiction, the scenes everyone remembers are simply two or three people talking - not the violence and the gore, but the Royale with cheese, or Jule's Bible quote. This movie is no exception. My favorite scene had to be when Landa has Raine and his right hand guy at the table once captured. No torture, no shooting, not even a fist fight. They talk. And you have to love the childish happiness in Christoph Waltz's line "That's a bingo!" Even Brad Pitt's speech at the start of the movie to the Basterds is a mix of great writing: humor, revels the major plot, and opens the movie up to the viewers imagination as to exactly what he plans to do to Nazi soldiers.
The plot. Tarantino again uses his craft of winding several plots together to for one great story. There really are three major stories taking place: Aldo Raine and the Basterds, Shosanna's revenge, and the British plot to kill Hitler at the premier. These three twist and wind through each other in a fun, well paced style. You don't ever really learn all of the needed information up front, again a Tarantino classic trademark. He uses his time, his characters, and his dialog to pull you through in a very realistic style. The bar scene is what stands out, as you know through he whole thing, it will end terribly. There are a few points where you think the Basterds might get out okay, either way, Tarantino has you on the edge, waiting for the release of what happens for as long as you can stand it. The tension is amazing, even in a light atmosphere like a bar late at night. Beautiful writing and great acting.
Tarantino has made me a fan again, I even went and broke out my copy of Reservior Dogs on VHS again. I hope he sticks to movies like this, he has them mastered, and yet can make each one different in its own way. One of the best new minds in movies delivers one of his best inventions to date. I hope to see more from this extraordinary writer/director.