Inglourious Basterds; the film so good I saw it twice.
Instead of a balls to the wall action film, as promised by the synopsis and the marketing, we get a tense dramatic thriller with smatterings of horror and a little of the promised action. However, such is Tarantino’s skill in setting up the few frantic moments of violence that the pay-off is extraordinary. And, be warned, that, while the action is intermittent, when it does come it is unrelenting and rather gory.
Basterds is a spaghetti western that got lost in Nazi-occupied France. But, this is not the Nazi-occupied France of history; nay, it is one where history is rewritten and David Bowie sets the mood for cinema inspired revenge. It may also be writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s most entertaining film to date. It is certainly his best since Jackie Brown.
Tarantino’s last film, Deathproof, was a diverting couple of hours that never outstayed its welcome but, at the same time, never lived up to his past achievements. Kill Bill Parts Un and Deux were the sum of their parts; some parts good, some pretty average. Had he streamlined them into a cohesive whole it may have worked better. It also did not help that he ended Part One with one of the greatest action sequences of all time; Part Two just seemed too laid-back after the incisor sharp first volume.
So, Basterds. There is much too love.
Hans Landa, the Jew Hunter, is a magnificient creation. Tarantino said that actor Christoph Waltz (who portrays Landa) gave him his film. And it is hard to disagree. Landa is the glue that holds all of the disparate stories together. Waltz manages the rare feat of mixing pathos, menace, and giddy irreverence into the same believable performance. Due to the schizophrenic nature of the film it is not hard to believe that the film would not have worked a without him in the role.
Tarantino began writing Basterds many years ago. His goal was to develop a “men on a mission” film; much like The Dirty Dozen, The Guns of the Navarone and Where Eagles Dare. After writing, what is now, the first two chapters of the film (which has five in total) he abandoned it to write a less ambitious film; that film became the Kill Bill films (I think it got a little bigger than he expected…). Having exhausted the kick-ass female action hero antics originally written for Basterds with Beatrice Kiddo (who kills Bill), once he returned to Basterds he needed a new plot.
That plot became a much more restrained (for Tarantino) dramatic piece, that is driven by dialogue (no surprises there). It focusses on blowing up a film premiere which high ranking Nazi officials will be attending. However, so verbose are the characters that by the time the plot is set-up there is no time left for anything but to carry out the plot. So, the “men” are never really “on a mission”; they pop up in a few places to establish characters and then show up for the finale. But don’t let that put you off.
The film essentially boils down to a series of prolonged set-pieces. Each build tension expertly, grinding the audience into a frenzy before a gratifying release. The finest of these is the opening chapter which introduces the villain (Landa). Tarantino’s choice of music at the end of this sequence is epochal!
Brad Pitt’s performance has been maligned in many reviews; not least by the film’s producer, Harvey Weinstein! I enjoyed Pitt’s performance; it was one-dimensional, very goofy, and there were a few holes here and there, but I felt it worked completely as part of this over-the-top film. The rest of the cast is also on form. Eli Roth plays the homicidal manic as well as you would expect from the writer/director of Hostel. Melanie Laurent, who plays the female lead, is also an important piece of the Basterd’s puzzle. While Hans Landa is the glue that holds the film together, she provides the heart.
Mike Myers and Michael Fassbender (the excellent Hunger), also show up towards the end and bring a giddy joy to the film. The tone of their performances, and Tarantino’s writing of them, is spot on.
It is not all good news. While Tarantino is excellent at foreshadowing, in big neon lights (forelighting?), upcoming payoffs within the film, there are times that the characters do feel like they are quoting from a trailer narration. Plus, while the film is a cacophony of wonderfully mismatched plot points, the film would have worked better had he done either, the “men on a mission” flick, or the cinema revenge plot.
However, I would not take this film any other way! If you are not a Tarantino fan Basterds will do nothing to change your mind. However, anyone willing to embrace his excessive tendencies should have a pretty good time at the flicks with this one. Highly recommended.
