Inglourious Basterds: So Many Nazis, So Little Time

This is it, Quentin Tarantino’s crossover film. Inglourious Basterds is pure Tarantino: a simple story full of gruesome, bloody and violent tension with a plot that comes to a complete (and satisfactory) resolution, but which also manages to entertain without constant and excruciating gore. The idea of a group of Jewish commandos volunteering for hard duty killing Nazis in the worst way possible–scalping them–is quite original. And in scripting Nazis as the Basterds' target, Tarantino found a way to make his typical violence seem reasonable… perhaps even palatable.

Inglourious Basterds is set in an alternate reality, where a team of commandos were out to destroy the Nazis and kill Adolf Hitler. The real world matches the alternate until Brad Pitt, as Lt. Aldo Raine, becomes the leader of the Basterds. Raine’s goal: he wants100 Nazi scalps from each of his troops in order to scare the absolute hell out of the German troops. Raine, a southern boy with an almost too heavy southern accent, is an archetype (nearly every WWII movie has at least one). This time Raine is not the down home “aw shucks” type. He’s ice cold, as hard hearted a killer as the Nazi death camp leaders themselves, only the victims are different. Nazis Beware!

Brad Pitt stars, and he is clearly the driving force through the first half of Basterds, but Christopher Walz (Goldeneye) steals the show after. Walz’s performance, as the sociopath Col. Hans Landa, is inspired. From incredible facial control to almost instantaneous response to stimulus, he is stunning. Walz, an actor little known to American audiences, will not be so in the future. He steals the show, even from Mr. Pitt.

Basterds is set up as a series of chapters, nicely chronological, well laid out and thoroughly thought through, with one exception. There is too little about the Basterds early days and too much time spent developing a French pub scene. Simply put, the film has a little bloat-not typical with Tarantino–and it shows. These are small knocks indeed, but distracting and surprising for Tarantino. Usually the action is quick and overwhelming. Otherwise the film is tight.

Inglourious Basterds is one of Tarantino’s best, and though based in an alternate universe, one of the best WWII films ever made. Some special notes: there are two performances that come so close to going over the top that it’s amazing they don’t. Mike Myers manages one of his best acting jobs… just short of amazing. Myers’ performance, as General Ed French, is on the razor’s edge… so close to absurd and yet still real, barely. I predict you will thoroughly enjoy it.

The other performance, Martin Wuttke as Adolph Hitler, was so much like what I want to believe Adolph Hitler was like that I loved it. A warning though… Hitler was said to be incredibly charming, when he wanted to be, and a mesmerizing speaker–not a constantly raving anger junkie as portrayed in Basterds, though of course he had those moments too. Of course, as mentioned above, this is an alternate reality.

Inglourious Basterds is a great film–lots of violence, gore, great performances and terrific direction. Expect some of Tarantino’s patented additions, including a rather suggestive strangulation scene, and a great ending. Pay special attention to the beginning scene, don’t come late. Col. Landa sets the mode for the entire film.

Rating 4.5 out of 5