Inglourious Basterds

Brad Pitt and Eli Roth look badass in Inglourious Basterds

by Gary Sundt

Quentin Tarantino’s work has shaped the way many modern cineastes view movies and the art of filmmaking. His second film, Pulp Fiction, won the Palme D’Ore at the Cannes Film Festival, perhaps the highest honor in the moviemaking world. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 had a large influence on me upon its initial release, and I maintain that seeing Grindhouse may have been the greatest time I’ve ever had at a movie theater.

His latest film, Inglourious Basterds, continues the celebrated filmmaker’s tradition of making movies that commemorate the very experience of moviegoing, from his timeless use of film technique to his visceral understanding of dialogue.

Inglourious Basterds, in classic Tarantino fashion, is several stories that intertwine with one another. There is the story of the Basterds and their leader, Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who mercilessly hunt and scalp the Nazis. Then we have Nazi Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), who mercilessly hunts and kills Jews. Unknowing to both sides of the equation is Shosanna (Melanie Laurent), a survivor of one of Col. Landa’s ruthless raids, who has her own plans to topple the National Socialist Party.

Inglourious Basterds is not a history lesson, nor does it try to be. This is WWII: Tarantino-style, and it’s the type of history rewrite that will stir many different emotions from the audience. Some will be disgusted, others will be outraged, but the majority of the audience will revel in the sheer audacity of… well, it would be criminal to spoil any of the antics here. But walk into Inglourious Basterds looking for a bloody good time, and you won’t be disappointed.

Tarantino has a knack for creating characters that stick in the public psyche long after the film has ended, and Inglourious Basterds is no different. The standouts in the film are definitely Pitt and Waltz, who come off as hilarious one moment as they do hilarious the next. While caricatures such as these often inspire an unintentional chuckle from the viewer, such is not the case in a Tarantino film. The audience laughs, but does so knowingly, because these are winks, nods, and clichés we know and appreciate all too well.

On the same token, he is, at heart, a “popcorn” filmmaker. Tarantino is not working to make films with any more depth then those of Michael Bay or Roland Emerich, but still manages to create moviegoing experiences more rewarding than most CGI extravaganzas. Perhaps Inglourious Basterds is a perfect response to a summer topped by Transformers 2 and Wolverine, if nothing else because it has more than an iota of respect for its audience and their intelligence.

Film purists seem to enjoy picking at Tarantino, trying to knock him down off the high horse he climbed on in the aftermath of Pulp Fiction. However, watching a Quentin Tarantino picture is watching a master do what he was born to do. While he may run a little long with his dialogue (which he most certainly does in Inglourious Basterds), the man is a gifted director, and one who knows how to bring the best out of the people he employs.

4.5 stars