DOUBLE FILM REVIEW: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 10:18PM | Jarrett Taylor 
Released: 2009
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth
Genre: Action, Drama, War, Satire
Review by: Jarrett Taylor
This review does not contain spoilers.
In 1994, my mother brought me to see Pulp Fiction in the theater.
I was 15 years old and we brought my 13 year old brother.
Up until then, I was raised on action and sci-fi movies.
Pulp Fiction changed the way I watched movies.
Ever since then, I’ve been a fan of everything the guy made.
There’s no question about it.
This man knows his movies.
His arrogant demeanor can be offsetting, but ultimately, endearing in a geek pride sort of way.
I'm sure from here on out, we will be seeing him put his wealth of movie knowledge to good use for the rest of his career.
Inglourious Basterds
This is not the war movie most people are accustomed to.
This is a tale of vengeance.
There are 2 main stories here.
The Basterds story which is hilariously twisted thanks to Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth).
(notice the trademark name alliteration from Tarantino’s other films)
The others are great as well.
The Basterds are a brutality squad hellbent on making every last Nazi pay.
In the name of Justice, they take more than just their lives, they take their pride.
Those who are spared, end up wishing they were dead.
The 2nd story follows theater owner Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent).
Shosanna’s story is a little more dramatic than the Basterds.
Her hatred for the Nazis has driven her to new extremes.
An awkward romance helps her plot her ultimate revenge.
Every chapter plays a vital role in the telling of this story.
Nothing seems forced or out of place.
The slower moments in the film are quickly remedied with crazy catch-you-off-guard action sequences.
There’s also enough gore in this movie to make the average movie-goer queezy.
The highlight of the movie is definitely Christoph Waltz’s performance as Col. Hans Landa.
He plays the main Nazi baddie also known as “The Jew Hunter.”
A villain with a calm demeanor and a hunter’s wit.
He’s the type of guy you love to hate.
His performance will most likely get him an Oscar nomination.
You'll be biting your nails by the end of the first chapter.
The ending is amazing and will be referenced for years.
There’s iconic imagery that will live in your mind for a long time.
The score really helps capture the many moods you're seeing on screen.
I highly recommend this one.
SHARP OBJEX Rating: 4 out of 4
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Review by: Erika Szabo
I’ll admit I was wrong thinking that District 9 was the last good film this summer. I don’t know how I could have possibly doubted Quentin Tarantino (big Tarantino fan here) but his sixth film to date, Inglourious Basterds, looked nothing like what I was hoping for from the director. Not as though the trailer for Inglourious Basterds was bad, but I felt that the ‘men-on-a-mission’ aspect of the film was outweighing the substance. While many were looking for a Nazi bloodbath, I was looking for something deeper and I got just that.
At this point, you might be wondering what I’m getting at. It could very well be that Tarantino simply wanted to make a revenge film, but if that was the case then wouldn’t he have included more blood? Why would Col. Hans Landa (played by the wickedly talented Christoph Waltz) otherwise known as the Jew Hunter, give insightful monologues if they weren’t insightful? And most of all, why would anyone make a WWII film that was so unlike what we had already spent years fermenting in? These are all questions that went through my head throughout the film, and while some of you may think that I’m over thinking things, I’m more than happy to explore my surroundings.
What truly surprises me is that very few film critics have dared to venture through this otherwise valid interpretation of Inglourious Basterds. I go doe-eyed every time I experience a Tarantino film. His scenes act as a rubber band that stretches to its very limits, and as the tension and anticipation reaches its peak, the rubber band snaps. There’s nothing more rewarding then watching a scene build up for ten minutes and watching it snap in less then two. While it’s fun talking about scene structures and Tarantino’s influences, it’s already been done before. I guarantee you that most reviews are going to be exactly that.
What I found most interesting about Inglourious Basterds is how Tarantino is never on sides. Sure, he gives “the Basterds” a chance to fight back for all the lives lost, but are they any better for the acts they’ve done? Is revenge justifiable? At the same time, the Nazis appear cunning and deceptive, but after removing those layers, all we have are people very similar to anyone of us. While Tarantino is not a Nazi sympathizer he’s not on the same page as the Jews either.
Even so, Tarantino knows just how to get his audience excited, and still offer as much humor as ever. While audiences will whoop and cheer as the bad guys get scalped, burned, you name it, Inglourious Basterds is an unsettling examination of how culturally acceptable hatred creates a distorted mentality. Nothing proves it more so than in the “cinema” scene.
As we watch Shoshanna (Melanie Laurent) and Marcel (Jacky Ido), our unlikely ‘heroes’, take revenge on the Germans sitting comfortably in Shoshanna’s movie theatre, Tarantino works his filmmaking magic. Before the film’s finale, we watch the Nazis (and their families) clapping and cheering as they watch a movie about a German sniper who kills vulnerable American soldiers. Now is it just me, or does this sound very much like how we clapped and cheered during “The Basterds” acts of violence? Is it possible that we are just as bad as the Nazi’s? Maybe. So while Shoshanna has the last laugh, as does Tarantino. Hatred spreads.
It’s been stated that Inglourious Basterds will be Tarantino’s best film to date, and rightfully so. While I’ve only scraped the surface of this idea, I find it viable enough to look into further, and I hope some of you will as well. The fact that Tarantino can juxtapose a pseudo-historical revenge film and satire while experimenting on his audience is nothing short of genius. Even if Tarantino didn’t intend on this, it’s still interesting to think about the power a director can hold over his/her audience.
SHARP OBJEX Rating: 4 out of 4
Inglourious Basterds Trailer
Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino, WWII, action, drama, satire, vengeance, war, war film 
Reader Comments (4)
While I agree with almost your entire review, the part I question has to do with "Hatred Spreads". While I agree QT might have very well had Us laughing at the Nazis deaths, while they laughed within His movie...
They were Fictionalized Interpretations of Real Characters Laughing at an actual event, a re-enactment for the film they were watching, but based on reality none the less. We on the other hand, were watching a completely Fictionalized Story, Cheering on the Heroes for taking down the villains, not based so much on Hatred, but rather the Joy of Fictional Justice, presented as entertainment.....Just my opinion
Perhaps I misplaced the "Hatred Spreads" statement, because I was leaning more towards the historical hatred that manifested during WWII, not towards audiences necessarily. I do, however, believe that audiences do have hatred towards Nazis. They are some of the most well known people to hate, despite all the terrible acts others have done as well. This, I believe, has become embedded in history and our minds. Society has done a good job of conditioning people into hating others while disregarding their views and ideas.
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