Inglourious Basterds

A new film from Quentin Tarantino is always a movie event, but after the pretentiousness of Kill Bill Vol.2 and the self-indulgent Death Proof (not too mention it’s disastrous box office showing) there’s a lot riding on Inglourious Basterds in terms of QT’s reputation and audience reaction. Well, in terms of the second issue, Basterds has conquered the box office on both sides of the Atlantic, despite (predictable) mixed reviews in Europe. As for Tarantino, though this isn’t a patch on the earlier glory days, this is a serious return to form. Interestingly enough, though the film is basically a two-hander it’s only been marketed as Brad Pitt and the eponymous Basterds on a Nazi killing spree. This strand of the story has its moments, but it’s clearly the weaker of the two tales that finally merge together at the end. It’s a shame that the film had to be marketed as the Pitt / Basterds show (in comparative terms Pitt doesn’t really have much screen time at all) just to get bums on seats as word of mouth would have easily have carried this to the top anyhow. The second and main strand of the story concerns Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) as a cinema owner in German occupied Paris who seeks revenge on the Nazi’s who killed her family. So while both storylines concern revenge of sorts, the Shosanna section provides the cinematic quality to the Basterds more popcorn affair. Not that this doesn’t work, but you feel there could have been a great movie here as opposed to a very good one. That’s not too say that this very good film doesn’t contain a number of great scenes. One in particular, a stand off (well sit off) in a bar, is superbly written and tense, and though it has clear nods to numerous other war films, it really does hold its own. In terms of the acting honours Laurent gives a solid, if understated performance, but the main plaudits go to Christoph Waltz for his stunning portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa, the man responsible for the killing of Shosanna’s family. Tarantino has stated that Landa is probably the best character he has ever written and that the film wouldn’t even get made unless he could find someone suitable for the part. How he must be thank his lucky starts that Waltz landed in his lap. Full of charm one moment and brutal violence the next (whilst switching effortlessly between English, French, German and Italian) Waltz eats up the screen whenever he is on there. It’s no wonder he walked away with the Best Actor award at Cannes for his performance. Some people may be put off by the alternate view of history on show and there are a few other unintentional historical clunkers (no Quentin, rats didn’t cause the bubonic plague!), but the good points, including some stereotypical out there casting (Rod Taylor as Winston Churchill!) far outweigh the bad. Overall, this is pure entertainment and welcome proof that old QT’s still got it.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Despite the actual Basterds storyline being somewhat underwhelming, and a change in tone that slightly spoils the ending, this is a rollicking ride, with a performance from Waltz that is one of best seen on screen in recent years. Rating: 8/10.