Inglorious Basterds

To begin, I have to say that as a fan of Quentin Tarantino I came into this movie a bit biased.  That isn't to say that I'm immediately in love with everything he does, or that I approach them with open arms.  In fact, Jackie Brown was one I had some trepidations about and didn't rush to see it.   Something I feel foolish about in retrospect, seeing as how it's one of my favorites, just under Pulp Fiction.  I also need to admit that there isn't anything he's written and directed that I have been fond of, including Four Rooms (only Quentin's and Robert Rodriquez's segments). 

Inglorious Basterds is unlike anything you've ever seen.  Not because of how it depicts it's Dirty Dozen, minus 2, squad of Nazis terrorizers, or how it handles the conflicts of WWII (which aren't shown or even talked about.  What makes it different is how the charavters and events are laid out.  Even the main plot of the film isn't introduced until halfway into the movie.  Know that this movie is not to be taken as a historical drama.  Inglorious is no more a historical account, than Star Trek is a prediction of the future. 

Brad Pitt plays Lt. Aldo Raine, also known as "Aldo the Apache."  He leads a platoon of nine men, affectionately called the Basterds, made up Jewish American soldiers, including Eli Roth's Sgt. Donny Donowitz aka "The Jew Bear", known for crushing Nazis heads with a baseball bat, and one former Nazis, Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz.  The job of Pitt and his men is to demoralize the Nazis troops and bring fear to Hitler and the entire Nazis regime.  A feat they perform quite well for four years, killing most the Nazis soldiers they come across, and leaving the survivors with swastikas carved into their foreheads.  You don't get the feeling that Pitt and his men take any sadistic pleasure in doing what they do.  True, they do attack and kill with a smile and a bit of glee, but that comes from returning the favor to the Nazis.  This is greatly symbolized in the "souvenirs" that the give the Nazis soldiers.  It's not to disfigure or even torture them, but so that they can't deny to themselves or anyone else who they once were. 

The same cannot be said for Pitt's Nazis counterpart Hans Landa aka "The Jew Hunter", played by Cristoph Waltz.  I stop to note, as if giving a brief understanding of nitrate film, that Waltz won the Best Actor award at Cannes for playing Landa.  Waltz's performance is eerie to watch because he makes the character so hard to dislike.  He's evil, and you know he's evil even before he's done anything to give you that impression.  It's not the swastika on his arm, or the way he wears his uniform which such pride that he stands several feet taller than what he is; it's the brightness in his eyes.  He's happy and is quick to flash a smile that doesn't try to hide his killer nature, but more to accentuate just how frightening he is.  Waltz's character is written with such intelligence, coupled with a cunning and beguiling nature, that he's almost charming.  Watching him on screen is a sadistic treat for the audience.  Unlike Darth Vader, or Jason Voorhees, or any other movie "villain" it's not good to like Waltz's character work, but you do, and you hate yourself for doing so.  He's a killer, and you'd do well to remember that. 

The plot, which seems simple on the surface, but is intricately overlapped and interwoven in true Tarantino style, revolves around plans to debut a new Joseph Goebbels propaganda film in a small theater in France.  With all the top German brass set to attend, including Hitler himself, the Basterds are sent on a mission to blow up the theater and effectively end the war in Europe overnight.   The chosen theater is owned by a Shosanna Dreyfuss, a French Jew who narrowly escaped the murder of her family at the hands of Hans Landa and his men.  Unaware of the Basterds' plan, Shosanna makes plans of her own to burn down the theater with everyone inside. 

The most interesting thing about Inglorious Basterds is how the Nazis themselves are portrayed.  They're not played as jokes, or incompetent in any fashion.  In contrast to Aldo Raine and his men, which are hard charging headstrong fighters, the Nazis officers are written with such piercing intelligence that it's scary.  This creates such intense moments that you almost find yourself holding your breath.  It's like watching a chess match of pawns versus knights. 

Inglorious Basterds is not a movie that cannot be easily explained with a simple review.  The pacing at times is slow, as people are moved into place that picture begins to focus.  Never boring, your attention is held at all times, and you can fell the movie slowly entering you.  It never completely takes you over.  It's wants you to experience it all for yourself.  Every character plays a significant part, and are indispensible.  Much like Pulp Fiction, Inlgorious will be a like it or hate it movie.  There's no indifference to this one.  Those who are able to absorb the movie for what it is will walk away pleased.  Those who can't bring themselves to accept the movie and its distorted vision of history will obviously miss what makes it great.  And it is great.  The performances, the plot, the look, the feeling, it's all captivating.  You can certainly do worse than this film, but you'd be hard pressed to do much better.