We Ain't In The Prisoner Takin Bidness...We In The Nazi Killing Bidness.
Written: Aug 23 '09 (Updated Aug 24 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, excellent dialogue, interesting plot, unique characters.
Cons: Nada.
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend Inglourious Basterds as a uniquely interesting war film.
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| coldsteel7's Full Review: Inglourious Basterds |
Inglourious Basterds appealed to me from the very first trailer I viewed. The limited scenes of Brad Pitt cast as a gritty countrified team leader of a band of Jewish Americans chosen to hunt and kill gnat-zees piqued my interest immediately. Often, trailers are a tease, often giving viewers the best two minutes in the movie, but falling far short of the hype. I am happy to report that Inglourious Basterds manages to maintain the sharp dialogue and exceptional acting visible in the trailers for the entire 153 minute duration of the film. It really did not feel like a two and a half hour movie.
Inglourious Basterds takes certain liberties with the real history of World War II to bring us the story of a misfit part-Apache Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). Al-do is tasked with training a team to drop behind enemy lines in France, where they ruthlessly kill and maim German soldiers. Their reputation as vicious killers quickly spreads amongst the German soldiers. When a twist of fate has Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) holding his film premiere at a French Theater, several plot lines head toward a collision course. The theater owner, Shoshonna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) had escaped four years earlier from the brutal "Jew Hunter" Hans Landa (Christopher Waltz). Colonel Landa ends up running security for the premiere. The star of the premiere, Frederick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl) is smitten with the beautiful Shoshonna, whose attempts to rebuff him are futile. A famous German actress, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), who works as a double-agent, has agreed to get the Basterds into the premiere so they can kill the Nazis...while Shoshonna has developed her own plan. The elements are carefully constructed culminating in a climax with an interesting but enjoyable twist at the end. So, Tarantino took liberties with history to devlier an action-packed and incredibly fun (and violent) film...it was worth it.
One thing I enjoy about Quentin Tarantino films is the dialogue. It is easy to get hung up on expressions or language that are comfortable. Tarantino doesn't find comfort zones, he challenges them. That gives Tarantino an open palette upon which to create his characters and dialogue. The characters are unique and interesting (although maybe a bit one-dimensional). But the dialogue is rich with interesting expressions and exceptional one-liners. The film had elements of graphic novel and spaghetti western thrown in to create a very unique look and feel that had Tarantino written all over it. Even the plot managed to catch me looking the other way. I guessed the ending about one minute before it happened.
Growing up, my favorite actor was Clint Eastwood (I was happy to see his Gran Torino earlier this year...likely his last film). I have never adjusted my icon for another Hollywood hero. I finally find myself seriously considering replacing Eastwood with Brad Pitt. I know the girls like Pitt simply because he's Brad Pitt. I have been a fan of Pitt's work, but his latest films have shown an incredible adaptability and range. In Inglourious Basterds, Pitt has outdone himself. I would never have read the script for this film and thought...that sounds like an excellent role for Brad Pitt. I would have looked for an older, grittier actor like the guys from the Dirty Dozen. Someone cast in the mold of Charles Bronson. Brad Pitt hit this one out of the park. He was unbelievably credible as the tough-as-nails ruthlessly violent Lieutenant. Bravo, Brad.
After slathering on that kind of praise for Pitt's performance, would it be fair for me to claim that Pitt was, at times, upstaged by the exceptionally deviant performance of Waltz as Colonel Landa? Where Pitt showed broad appeal, Landa brought scheming trickery layered with a heavy dose of self-preservation. The vile back-stabbing brand of preservation. Waltz was uncanny at times, combining cunning and violence to create a character that was the essence of dishonor. Waltz was equally superb in this film. I was surprised to Mike Meyers in the film, in a cameo as British OSS or Military Intelligence. I thought Meyers might bring some comedy to the role, but his part was rather small and uneventful...no knock on his performance. Sgt Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger) gets his own "back story" in this film. Schweiger was a credibly ruthless Nazi killer. The cast was superb top to bottom.
A word about language in this film. Inglourious Basterds is infused with German, Italian, English and French...often sub-titled. I'm glad I am not fluent in any of those languages, because it got confusing even with the sub-text. The switching back and forth between languages created some interesting exchanges and was exploited as part of the plot in more than one scene. The use of language was smartly incorporated into the espionage plot lines of the film, creating an added tier of suspense, along with some decent comedy (imagine Brad Pitt, a backwoods moonshiner from Tennessee putting on an Italian accent...he knows some words, but his pronunciation an obvious give-away).
Inglourious Basterds captures every opportunity presented to propel the story forward. There are no long dissertations or side-bars that venture down distracting dead-ends. The elements of the converging plot lines are developed succintly with maximized impact. Although a bit on the long side, the film has superb pacing that never bogs down. The action is supplemented with excellent special effects. If there were a fault, it might be the rather gruesome over-the-top scalpings. The cuts were a bit too clean and easily completed to seem credible. The rest of the special effects were superb. The scenery chosen as the backdrop further enhanced the credibility of the era that this film purports to be from.
In keeping with tradition, the Motion Picture Association of America billed this highly violent film with an R rating. Knowing the propensity for the MPAA to rate war films harshly, I decided to roll the dice and take my ten-year-old to see this film (I don't mind him seeing violence, as long as he understands the context). Inglourious Basterds takes violence to an extreme level, although the scenes containing gore seemed to be kept in check. There was one quick (two seconds?)_scene where Joseph Goebbels is observed behind his female assistant doing his best imitation of a dog. The scene (and film) contained no nudity...but was obvious in intent. Beyond that one scene, the strong language and violence earned the rating. I did not regret bringing my son...the film was about what I expected. If you are concerned about excessive violence, avoid this one.
Inglourious Basterds may not win any awards. Although Tarantino and Pitt combine enough star power to possibly earn a nod. If this film does not garner any awards, it would be a shame. The film is intelligent, well constructed, interesting and displayed the exceptional talents of a well chosen cast. However, I could care less about awards. Inglourious Basterds is an exceptional piece of cinema that breaks the mold for war movies (which may have something to do with the intentionally misspelled title). It intentionally avoids historical fact as well as other definitions common to the genre, to deliver an original product. I was highly recommend this film with five stars out of a possible five.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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