Inglourious Basterds


Starring: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novak, Daniel Bruhl, Til Schweiger,
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, War
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of American Jews, led by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) strike fear into the heart of the NAZI regime by brutally murdering as many NAZIs as they can get their hands on. However, a German officer (Christoph Waltz) known as "The Jew Hunter" is determined to stop them.

Review:

Tim: I really believe that Quentin Tarantino oftentimes gets a pass from critics and audiences because of who he is, what he represents, and the success he has had in the past. Take Inglourious Basterds for example- this is one of the best-reviewed films of 2009, and critics and audiences alike fell in love with Tarantino's World War II tale. I admit, I was very excited and ready to see what Tarantino would do with the genre because he is a gifted filmmaker. However, this film doesn't live up to the expectations. It is a talky, oftentimes silly movie that isn't nearly as good as it should have been. This is a major disappointment, despite what everyone else thinks.

The biggest problem with this movie is that the focus isn't on the most interesting characters. The Basterds are terrific as a group, and Aldo Raine with an excellent character, yet they are not on screen nearly enough time. There are long, long stretches where their presence isn't felt at all. I wanted more of them- more violence, more excitement, and more witty dialogue. Every second of screen time away from this group hurts the movie, and there are a lot of those seconds. We spend entirely too much time on characters that aren't interesting enough to warrant their screen time.

The second big flaw with this movie is Tarantino's insistence on pushing the boundaries of a scene. I don't know the exact times, but his scenes go on and on and on, oftentimes only consisting of people talking. Now, I love character development and I love good dialogue- especially when it is written as well as it is here. However, these scenes go way past the point of keeping the scenes interesting. On a number of occasions, the scene lengths were almost torturous. The characters keep talking and talking, and while the first ten minutes are interesting, they soon become tedious and tiresome. I wanted to scream for them to shut up and for Tarantino to move onto something else. This movie is way, way too talky.

I mentioned that I really liked the character of Aldo Raine, but I should clarify some. I really like the idea of Aldo Raine. I thought Brad Pitt was terrific, and his talking scenes in Chapter Two were my favorite moments of the film. I wanted more of Raine, more character development, and more time for Pitt to make this an unforgettable character. As it currently is, he didn't get enough screen time to really establish his character. I was disappointed Pitt didn't get more screen time.

Now, the scenes without Pitt are not all bad. I really loved the performance of Christoph Waltz, and he is getting the critical praise he deserves for a mesmerizing, terrific performance. He is wonderful in this movie. The first scene of the film (a really long one), featuring mostly him talking is absolutely brilliant. Waltz is a revelation, and I loved him in this movie. His scenes are great. I am also a fan of Diane Kruger, although I don't believe she got enough screen time, and the writing for her character was lukewarm at best. I was excited to see her here, but she didn't really deliver. I blame this more on the writing than on her performance.

The other character to mention is Shosanna Dreyfuss, played by Melanie Laurent. Laurent gives a good performance, but her character isn't that strong. It felt far too similar to Tarantino's own Bride in the Kill Bill movies, which made her role feel redundant and boring. The scenes with her are occasionally decent, but mostly boring.

The final piece I want to mention is the end of the film. I love when directors take chances with their films and risk upsetting conventional wisdom. However, when Tarantino decides to completely rewrite history in the most absurd way, he takes his film into the realm of pure fantasy. There is nothing wrong with fantasy per se, but here, it completely takes us out of the movie. It makes the entire film feel unrealistic, and downright silly.

There were moments of Inglourious Basterds when Tarantino reveals what a genius he truly is. However, these moments occur rather early, and then we are left with the rest of the movie, which occasionally borders on painful to get through. I know that everyone wanted to love this movie- so did I. However, I think many Tarantino fanboys and critics got so caught up with the intention and the excitement around the movie that they didn't realize that this isn't a masterpiece- it is not even a particularly good movie. I know I am one of the few, but I really didn't like this movie all that much. While I love the effort and the attempt, I can't give this film credit for failing in many regards.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Kill Bill Parts 1 & 2, Inglorious Bastards, Pulp Fiction, Valkyrie