Quentin Tarantino is more of a magician than a director. He has an uncanny way of codling and nurturing actors so that they produce spectacular results. Nothing is predictable or goes as expected in a Tarantino script. As ‘Inglorious’ opens, we see a beautiful dairy farm nestled in the rural countryside of Nazi occupied France. The year is 1941. The farmer’s daughter is hanging laundry in a brisk breeze. Through the wind blown laundry, the daughter sees an approaching Nazi squad. The tough-as-nails farmer orders his daughters to go inside as the Nazi patrol approaches. Colonel Hans Landa (the movie’s best Nazi villain played impeccably by Christoph Waltz) exits the motorcade to begin a friendly chat (in French) with the farmer while drinking fresh milk and smoking a rather large pipe. Claiming that he wore out his limited knowledge of the French language, Hans asks the farmer to start conversing with him in English. Everything about the scene is designed to keep the viewer on edge with expectations that something truly awful or remarkable is about to occur. It is my experience that only Quentin has this unique ability to mold a scene with intense dialog coupled with humor, intrigue and mesmerizing physical gestures. Tarantino’s creations are never rushed, never boring and always brilliant. Of course, the conversation continues and the scene explodes with energy, excitement and surprise. Go to the theater to enjoy it yourself.
The movie consists of five chapters. Each chapter unfolds with the same intensity and magic. It is never obvious where a conversation among characters will go, yet the final delicious outcome is always beyond-belief rewarding. Only Quentin has the clout to title his movie “Inglorious Basterds” even though the bastards only occupy the movie for roughly ¼ of the running time. This is why I love Tarantino and rank him as one of the best directors of all time despite his fixation with revenge themes and violent imagery (I must warn all of you that there is some truly disturbing violence in this flick).
So let me conclude with my top ten reasons why “Inglorious Basterds” is one of the best movies of the summer:
- Quentin Tarantino single handedly changes the history books and makes the Nazi demise so much more rewarding than what occurred in reality.
- This is yet another fantastic movie created by the master of such movies as: Kill Bill 1, Kill Bill 2, Reservoir Dogs & Pulp Fiction
- Tarantino gives us the funniest Brad Pitt performance of all time.
- Colonel Hans Landa is the best villain of the summer, and my favorite evil Nazi ever (played by Christoph Waltz – he will be nominated for an Academy Award).
- The movie’s over-the-top Basterds rule the screen such as: Sergeant Hugo Stiglitz (a maniacal performance by Til Schweiger) and Sergeant Donnie Donowitz – The Bear Jew – (violently portrayed by “Hostel” director Eli Roth).
- The flick contains the best female role of the summer (French Jewish Theater Owner Shosanna Dreyfus) played by Melanie Laurent.
- The movie contains the best verbiage of any movie or any book I encountered this year. The words hang in the air like slivers of gold.
- Plot twists rule but never overshadow the actors who play their roles with total believability and conviction.
- The movie’s story, along with the strongly developed characters, never takes a backseat to action, violence and special effects.
- I left the theater praying for an early DVD release, so I can see it again as soon as possible.
Jay’s Grade: A
Christoph Waltz
2 responses so far ↓
themoviereport // August 24, 2009 at 2:17 pm |
Even though I enjoyed the movie, I did feel it lacked much of the brilliance of Pulp or Bill 1, and the premise was too simple and the characters not at all fleshed out. I’ll agree though that the cinema owner / vengeful Jewish girl was a stand out, as was Christoph Waltz Colonel.
Elena // August 24, 2009 at 7:44 pm |
Excellent. This was Justin’s first Tarentino film. I also can’t wait for the DVD. We are heading home for a Kill Bill marathon.