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Director:
Quentin Tarantino
Writer:
Quentin Tarantino (written by)
Release Date:
21 August 2009
Genre:
Action | Drama | War
Quentin Tarantino movies are known for their over the top gore and violence, so naturally like any other movie by him I went into ‘Inglorious Basterds’ expecting some plentiful ass kicking, face mutating and gut splitting violence. To my surprise though, I ended up watching a fully fleshed out and slightly overwritten masterpiece. That’s not to say there is no gruesome scenes we’ve come to love with Quentin’s movies but they are very noticeably cut down.
The ‘Inglourious Basterds’ are a fictional squad of renegade nazi killing marauders from WWII. Their goal is fully centered on killing Nazi’s. While the trailers make it seem like the story revolves around them for the jist of the movie (which I was lead to believe) it actually doesn’t. In fact for less than half the movie you’ll be watching Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and his squad of killers as the movie also follows an actress, a cinema owner, and of course the Nazi’s. This isn’t a bad thing per say, but can be very misleading depending on what you’re expecting.
The movie is split up into five different chapters, each focusing on certain characters and situations. It’s actually very notable to mention that in each of these five chapters the setting rarely changes. You’ll be watching each scene for up to 20-30 minutes. This is where the movie can be a bit dodgy. The scenes always start strong maintaining your attention but as it progresses you start to wonder why it’s not coming to the point. At first you’re oblivious to what’s supposed to happen, but as the minutes go by you will know exactly what’s coming. Unfortunately this is where you’re subject to some pretty pointless dialogue as it slowly reaches the climax – some great but short classic Tarantino violence. This happens in just about every chapter, which is noticeable and comes close to annoyance.
Let's talk about cake as I slow play your ass
Though many of the scenes drag they still manage to leave you satisfied by the end. Take for instance the ‘Jew Hunter’ (played by Christoph Waltz) for example. When you see him first on screen you have no idea of his intentions. But as he wonderfully plays his character you start to realize he is way smarter than he looks as he slow plays the situation captivating you at the end of his schpeel. He is by far the best character on screen. It’s almost sick seeing how good he really is at his ‘job’.
As for the basterds when you see them on screen you can expect to be pleased with how Tarantino portrayed them. Not only are they exceptionally humorous but they manage to provide a great sense of satisfaction. Brad Pitt does an above average performance of his title, and all other ‘basterds’ with screen time were great. By the end of the movie you will wish they had more screen time.
Where this movie really proves its dominance is the end. From start to finish of the final chapter you will be on the edge of your seat. Everything is fully realized in the previous chapters to really compliment the end. While I wish that the entire movie could’ve been as entertaining as the last chapter, it’s still good to see the movie ending exceptionally strong. I can honestly say you should overhype the ending as much as you can because it will leave you feeling great about the time and money you lost on watching the movie.
Closing Comments
‘Inglourious Basterds’ is a different movie than what you might expect – especially from a director like Tarantino. There are still gruesome scenes you have come to love and respect, but they are limited. As the movie is split up into 5 chapters you will notice that the setting only changes as the chapters do. Additionally each scene is loaded with too much dialogue getting close to the point of annoyance. It’s fair to say though that each scene is acted wonderfully and reaches a great but short climax. It’s all worth the money when you get to the end, even though it’s a little late; everything about the conclusion is solid. You will leave this movie feeling very satisfied. This is a must see flick, one of the best this summer has had to offer.
Edited by Plasmic Fury, 02 January 2010 - 02:09 PM.
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