Rusty got in first with THIS review but now it’s Prendy’s turn to dish the dirt, over to you Captain…
Oh my God! They killed Nazi’s. You Basterds!
France, 1941. Germans have occupied, Jews have fled and are in hiding. Enter, the Jew Hunter (Christoph Waltz). A fiercely determined Nazi officer whose life mission is to hunt out those remaining Jews. And so begins Inglorious Basterds.
Don’t waste your time on any school yard arguments as to whether this is Quentin Tarantino’s best film to date – it isn’t. But it is a very good film in its own right. And really, that’s all that matters.
All of Tarantino’s usual bag of tricks are here; slowly paced, dialogue snappy and heavy, elaborate swoops and pans alongside plenty of more old fashioned simple camera work.
Due to the different backdrop to all of his other films, any comparisons are kind of moot. It is very much a Tarantino film, but to the causal audience member, it’s ‘just’ another war flick. Albeit quite unlike anything else that’s gone before. If you must insist on comparisons then think The Dirty Dozen on steroids. Violence is not a key player here but when it does erupt it’s sudden and shocking. And bloody.
The dialogue is perhaps unsurprisingly very slick and it’s just as well as there’s plenty of it. Hamburger Hill this ain’t. But, thankfully the Tarantino blueprint fits rather snugly across the war room table – including the usual eclectic mixed up soundtrack; horns, wanging bass guitar and even some poppy 80’s synthing. Despite the fact that is really shouldn’t, the film works. I ask you to consider the last two and half hour epic that passes so quickly.
As you’ve probably heard by now this is pure fantasy – not a history lesson. Everything you know is altered, overlooked or just completely ignored in order to serve up a 152 minute Quentin-esque view on how things may have gone back in WW2 in an alternate, cooler reality. To argue against it is to miss the point. If you’re willing to just go with it, you’ll have a blast.
“Ve haf vays ov making you talk”
And so back to the Jew Hunter, Col. Hans Landa. Yes, he is the best thing in it. Speaking more languages than C3PO and effortlessly breathing menace, fear and breezy charisma into every loquacious conversation he is fantastic. You cannot help but like to hate him. Indeed, it is hard to imagine many other actors working today that would have fit the role so perfectly. Will Oscar come knocking? Who knows, but it would come as no surprise if Waltz is at least invited to the party – just pay close attention during the opening fifteen minutes or ‘chapter one’. Every pause, every nuance feels so measured and smooth, so right.
So how does everyone else fare? Pitt is fine, if a little panto-buffoon and a little too larger than life at times. Fassbender is top drawer during perhaps the film’s best and most nerve-wringing scene set within a bar cellar. (Certainly one of the better scenes of recent cinema – and ironically for a war film, when the action is all but absent – to start with at any rate). It’s just a shame he isn’t a used a little more. The same should be said for Til Schweiger as Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz – think ‘the hard basterd’.
Despite popular opinion, Eli Roth’s (Sgt. Donny Donowitz), the ‘Bear Jew’ does not spoil the film. True, this is probably due to the fact that he doesn’t have enough screen time to do so, but the fact remains that he doesn’t. He’s fine and judging by the way he can swing a bat, it’s best to just leave it at that.
Diane Kruger turns in her finest performance to date and proves that when prompted she actually can act.
The final act is perhaps the best with some very memorable imagery is included (watch for the burning curtain, you’ll see). Ripe with symbolism, irony and playful piss-taking (on all fronts) there are many, many worse ways to spend a couple of hours.
Keep an open mind and you’ll find a feisty boys-own adventure that’s begging not to be taken too seriously and where the rules don’t apply. If, on the other hand you take offence to the revision of history and the ‘Hollywood-ising’ of some pretty dark times, then it’s not for you. But then, aren’t you just being a bit of an awkward basterd?