Chris Kavan's Movie Review of Inglourious Basterds (2009)

These Basterds Are Legitimate
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/29/09

This is what I've come to expect from Quentin Tarantion and this is why I like him: scenes of witty, tense dialogue punctuated by intense violence. Inglourious Baterds reminded me a lot of Pulp Fiction - it had the chapters (this time in order), memorable characters and swift-kick-to-the-balls take on history.

I didn't think anything dragged at all. The dialogue scenes were long, but I never felt bored. The longest - the opening scene in a dairy farm in France and another in a dank basement where a secret meeting is taking place amidst a Nazi party - are filled with enough tension that I couldn't wait to see how things turned out. Sure, you probably could figure out what was coming, but getting there was half the fun.

Thankfully, Tarantino has continued to get things right that he has always done: excellent casting and spot-on use of music. For this one, the leads and supporting cast are near perfect. I loved Brad Pitt's southern twang and Eli Roth's New England bray. Diane Kruger was a wonder as a German bombshell/spy and Mélanie Laurent played the vengeful Jewish girl-turned-cinema owner wonderfully. However, my highest praise must go to Christoph Waltz, who has quite a record in German film, but his American debut is one to remember.

From the opening I knew that Waltz's Hans Landa character was going to be the one to watch. Cunning, charming, evil - and a a master of language (the scene in the cinema where he breaks out his Italian is one of my favorites) - this is the kind of casting I relish.

So interesting characters - excellent job again. Music - superb. From scenes with spaghetti-western themes (Ennio Morricone contributes quite a few selections) to a kind of haunting use of David Bowie's Cat People (Putting Out the Fire) - Tarantino shows he hasn't lost his touch when it comes to setting the scene.

Speaking of scenes, there are several that stand out from a Mexican stand-off in a bar to a near-unrecognizable Mike Meyers playing a straight role. People get scalped. People get shot. You see Hitler laugh and Goebbels cry. I love the movie-within-the movie "Nation's Pride" (directed by Eli Roth!), which through the clips you see is essentially a German sniper killing, killing some more, then killing yet more people. Luckily all that gunfire covers up the actual gunfire going on in the cinema.

In the end, I thought Tarantino was sliding away. I wasn't a huge fan of his Grindhouse feature, but Inglourious Basterds was a real treat for me - hearkening back to Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction. I don't ever want him to change his ways.