INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS ( ENGLISH , 2009 )
Director : Quentin Tarantino
Cast : Brad Pitt, Eli Roth , Diane Kruger , Christoph Waltz , Melanie Laurent , Daniel Bruhl
A character says " when the military history of tonight is written , it shall be recorded that I was a part of ...... " . This pretty much sums up the crux of Inglourious Basterds . It is history , conceived , conceptualized and executed through the lens and vision of maverick filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
Inglourious Basterds revolves around a series of events which unfolded ( fictionally ) during World War 2 , in France. France was under the control of the Nazis , and a group of merciless American soldiers called the Inglourious Basterds , led by the ruthless Aldo Raine ( Brad Pitt ) are hell-bent upon killing as many Nazis as possible , when they land in France. Few years ago , Shosanna Dreyfus , a young Jewish girl , is made to witness the gruesome murder of her family , by Colonel Hans Landa ( Christoph Waltz ) , however she manages to escape from the ordeal , and few years down the line , she is in charge of a Cinema Theatre in Paris. Shosanna Dreyfus ( Melaine Laurent ) still holds a grudge against the Nazis and we realize a golden opportunity to take her revenge falls into her lap , literally. It is here that the motives of the Basterds and Shosanna intersect , setting up a " blazing " finale.
Along the way , we see quite a few characters . The German Soldier , Fredrick Zoller ( Daniel Bruhl ) who turns into a movie star thanks to his exploits in real life , the German Actress Bridget Von Hammersmark ( Diane Kruger ) , who at some point helps the Basterds in their cause , and few more interesting characters. Of course , not to forget the imposing figure of Adolf Hitler , who in Tarantino's bizarre style is immaculately characterized , asking his soldiers for Chewing Gum in the middle of a movie screening.
This movie has many classic Tarantino touches . The long , lengthy dialogues are highly interesting , even though for the bulk of the movie , all people do is talk talk and talk. The conversations are animated , and you never feel bored . The discussion about rats in the opening sequences between Hans Landa and a French Peasant who harbors Jews , is a typical Tarantino effect. It is reminiscent of many of his movies , where he tends to bring up seemingly ridiculous subjects into his dialogues , but it adds to the mood as always.
As with most Tarantino movies , there is no central character , in this one too. Even though the ridiculously named title suggests this is going to be a blood bath , with ruthless soldiers baying for blood , the Basterds themselves are by no means the central element of the movie. The movie gives more importance to the other characters , very similar to his other movies where there is no protagonist per se , and everything else just happens to fall into place. this is more about Shosanna , more about her theatre and her revenge plans , more about Hitler's whims , the Nazi ideology , than just about the Basterds bashing up Nazis alone.
Characterization as always the strong point of any Tarantino movie , in the absence of an actual strong plot as a foundation , is top-notch. And added to it , the screenplay , even though it runs at around 2 and half hours , is as good as ever . Not much visual action on screen , but more of dialogues is what makes this movie beautiful. Tarantino's movies have always had cheeky , adorable dialogues , laced with a small element of sarcasm , and this one is no exception. Very few Directors can make a card movie-character game interesting , and Tarantino executes this to perfection . The sequences in the basement tavern , where the Basterds first meet Bridget Von Hammersmark are easily the best written ones I have seen for a long time.
The characters are immensely adorable and likable instantly. Even a seemingly ruthless Hans Landa " The Jew-Hunter " , will be received by audiences with warmth , as Christoph Waltz infuses humor and charm into the character. Watch out for the scenes where he interacts with the Basterds face to face . Eli Roth as Donny Donowitz , is brilliant in his portrayal as the "Bear Jew " who uses his baseball bat to make a bloody mess out of the Nazi's heads. Diane Kruger is elegant and graceful in her role as the German actress who helps the Basterds. Melanie Laurent comes up with a fine performance as the orphaned Shosanna who plots her revenge on the Nazis , in her own backyard , her Cinema.
However Brad Pitt is the best among the lot. We have seen numerous actors portraying American Officers in War movies , all unique in their own right. And Aldo Raine is no different. Aldo "Apache " Raine means business , and you understand this , the moment Pitt's character is introduced on-screen. He is easily delectable , in that dodgy rough American accent of his mouthing dialogues like " Nazi ain't got no humanity " . " " Every man under my command owes me a 100 Nazi scalps ". A feast for the eyes , Pitt brings in so much humor into his portrayal , and the dialogue need not necessarily be funny , for you to smile gleefully at him . I loved him , especially in a sequence where he poses as Bridget von Hammersmark's Italian accomplice , with minimal knowledge of Italian , and Hans Landa , confronts him and converses with him and his 2 fellow Basterds in fluent Italian .
Even the secondary characters bring in so much energy to the movie , and add value to the proceedings. The German Minister , the young soldier in the tavern who has just become a father , the Dark projectionist in the theatre and many more such personalities make this an even more delightful movie experience.
Technically , this is as good as any Tarantino movie.
Quentin Tarantino has given a truly outstanding and enriching movie experience. But , there has been a lot of talk about how this is better than Pulp Fiction . I beg to differ.
I ain't no authority on movies , nor am am I an authority on Quentin either. But I definitely feel this is not better than Pulp Fiction . These are 2 entirely different films , and Pulp Fiction is more of a Tarantino-ish movie than this one. Yes , like I said earlier this does have the signature Tarantino touch , w.r.t dialogues , characterization etc. But observe the differences too. Especially in the screenplay. Inglourious Basterds has a largely linear screenplay , whereas Pulp Fiction easily remains one of the best non-linear movies till date. There is something new to observe and learn from Pulp Fiction everytime I watch it. Inglourious Basterds too deserves multiple viewings to fully appreciate it's beauty . But , Pulp fiction.. I have seen it umpteen times and even if I were to watch it right now again , am sure I would observe something new. And Pulp fiction had more memorable characters than IB ( even though IB's characters are remarkable ). Even visualizing " Ezekiel 25 : 17 " would give me goosebumps now. Two completely different films , each remarkable in it's own right , and should never be compared. But just for the record , with all due respect to the Basterds , I would choose Pulp Fiction anyday.
I will go with 4.5 out of 5 for this brilliant film . Towards the end , ALdo Raine says " I think this just might be my masterpiece . ". I feel this was a statement from Tarantino himself. But I would say this ain't his masterpiece yet . The best is yet to come , and am eagerly waiting for his next movie. As for Inglourious Basterds .. Well , as Aldo Raine himself would put it "Damn good deal"
VERDICT : 4.5 / 5 ( Uber )
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