Inglorious Basterds (dir. Quentin Tarantino) is a different variety of war film. It is historically inaccurate, and decidedly so. For Tarantino, film itself has and will always come first. Many of the events that take place in the film never happened in reality. Hence, it is best to think of the film as existing in Tarantino’s own fantasy film world, rather than being representative of the WWII in the history books.
The plot is divided into five chapters that fluctuate focus between two main groups: the Basterds themselves and the Nazis trying to catch them. The Basterds are an elite group of Jewish-American soldiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). Their mission is simple: kill as many Nazi soldiers as possible. Opposing the Basterds is Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), nicknamed the “Jew Hunter,” for his impeccable ability to sniff out hiding Jews.
As with all of Tarantino’s films, the dialogue is slick, witty and fresh. The guy is just downright great at writing dialogue (which is a good thing considering that his movies are carried by said dialogue). But naturally, dialogue needs to be handled by adept lips to be great.
Thankfully, the acting in the film is superb. Brad Pitt is hilarious as the hillbilly leader of the Basterds. Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger both supply concrete performances as the female leads. Mike Myers turns in the best performance of his entire career (which is a bit sad considering he is only in the movie for ten minutes or so).
But these actors, as fine as they are in the film, can’t even touch Christoph Waltz’s work as Hans Landa (“the Jew Hunter”). This guy steals every single scene he appears in, and a best actor Oscar is the least he deserves for his efforts. If you have absolutely no other motivation to see Inglorious Basterds, you should still go see it just for Waltz because he is an absolute joy to watch ( despite the fact he is a deranged sociopath who hunts Jews for a living).
The soundtrack plays an integral part in Tarantino’s films. The music he chooses never fails to enhance, sometimes playing as important a role as the actors. This film showcases a bevy of Ennio Morriocone (the infamous composer most known for his work with Sergio Leone), which gives it a heavy spaghetti western feel.
The violence and gore are vivid and raw, but never overdone. This is not an action-packed war film. But when it’s time to stir things up, Tarantino delivers with Nazi scalping, baseball bat bludgeoning and some messy fire fights.
Inglorious Basterds is a hell of a lot of fun, from a director who loves movies more than anything in the world. Some critics have objected to its sometimes jovial treatment of the Holocaust and WWII. These critics are missing the point (and are way too uptight). Tarantino’s movies are all about the celebration of film. And that’s what Inglorious Basterds is— a fictional film that exists for the sake of film itself. It is something to be watched and enjoyed. I suggest you do just that.
I give this film 3 out of 3 crowns.