Inglourious Basterds: 2009

Meet the Basterds.
(And Tarantino)

“Inglourious Basterds” is a celebration of sweet revenge and the glorious carnage entailed. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, the 2009 late-summer bloomer is simultaneously moving, gripping, dynamic and hilarious. Split into five chapters, “Inglourious Basterds” involves three story threads that ultimately interweave into the grand and epic finale.

Thread one involves Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent): a Jewish-French girl in Nazi-occupied France, Shosanna is on the run and hell-bent on revenge after surviving the brutal massacre of her family. Thread two involves the Basterds led by 1st Lieutenant Aldo Raine, or “Aldo the Apache” (Brad Pitt); their goal is summed by the very worlds of Lt. Raine: “As a bushwhackin’ guerrilla army, we’re gonna be doin’ one thing and one thing only… killin’ Nazis.” Thread three involves “The Jew Hunter” Standartenführer Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz): a man who lives up to his nickname, Hans Landa is merciless in his ambition and profession. Other characters intertwined with these threads include the smitten war hero Oberschütze Fredrick Zoller played by Daniel Brühl and the charismatic German actress Bridget von Hammersmark played by Diane Krüger.

All of this takes place in “WWII.” The players set and the motivations primed, Tarantino unleashes a suspenseful play that is ruthless in its pursuit and relentless in its closure. The dialogue is top-notch superb, gripping in its intent while stylishly adorned. Chapter 1 is a fantastic demonstration of Tarantino’s prose: riff with subtle gestures and biting remarks, the scene is probably one of the most terrifying and unforgiving parts of the movie.

That said, the movie is not without its moments of comedy. Educational subtitles and narrative interjections are seamlessly written in. Despite whatever mood previous the humor always seems appropriate; never once does it seem strange that a second ago the audience that had just stared agape at a massacre would suddenly giggle incessantly at Samuel L. Jackson’s booming voice overhauling the scene.

The film employs incredible acting talent that drives “Inglourious Basterds” in a nonstop campaign – “Basterd” stand outs include Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, and Brad Pitt who all create memorable and poignant characters. Waltz employs an alluring charm to Hans Landa’s sadism and bloodthirsty intents; he plays the part of a villain majestically well, defined by the archetype yet utterly original in delivery and quirks. Laurent performs cooly, maintaining a enigmatic demeanor that is not without wrought. Her eyes say it all: determined and endearing, she commands the screen with resolve, dignified in delivery and cold with vengeance. Pitt is utterly serious in character, which only adds to the hilarity when he nonchalantly vocalizes his concerns and plans for killin’ more Nazis. He wants ‘em good and dead with bloody scalps to prove it, and boy does he mean it.

History purists may complain that Tarantino has inappropriately rewritten WWII (hence the quotations). I argue otherwise: authors “rewrite” history all the time with fictional characters in historical settings. Tarantino decided to hell with just fictional characters and wrote a fictional WWII as well. This “direct violation of historical accuracy” is a fresh breath of storytelling air; in fact I quite like seeing Hitler getting blown to smithereens in a fiery pit of bullets and flaming silver nitrate. It all boils down to story, story, and story – and that’s more than enough for establishing the ingenuity of Tarantino’s Basterds.

“Inglourious Basterds” is a movie done right on so many levels, I’d be unsurprised to see it to at least receive a nod for “Best Original Screenplay” at the 2010 Oscars. Quentin Tarantino once again demonstrates style and substance, his signature over-the-top battle royal aesthetic of course evident throughout. Novel in conceit, “Inglourious Basterds” is a masterfully crafted film that is incredibly dramatic with its fantastic writing, amazing acting cast and ingenious directing.

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