Inglourious Basterds (2009)
I’ll admit … I made up this category just to include this film in my list. I picked this film up after Christmas on Blu-Ray after returning a gift I received from my wife that didn’t work. I was skeptical of flat out purchasing it prior to seeing it, but as a Tarantino fan I was fairly confident it would be good. Little did I know it would be great, which is why I made up this cute little category (I must admit, it’s not my favorite Nazi movie of all time, as that would be Raiders of the Lost Ark, or wait, maybe The Blues Brothers…no gotta stick with Raiders).
As you’d expect, this film is classic Tarantino. In fact, it may be his best work since Pulp Fiction (although Jackie Brown sure was good). The dialogue is crisp, the cinematography exquisite, the acting superb (it deserved the SAG for Best Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture), and the violence, well, it’s Tarantinoesque (which isn’t nearly as violent as you’d think … I may write about his specifically in another blog entry).
The story is fictitious, to say the least, but it’s as entertaining as any yarn you’ll see. In classic Tarantino fashion, there are three storylines that overlap in an unconventional timeline. The script is delicious. I can’t wait to see this film again to simply savor the dialogue.
As mentioned, there are three storylines.
The first follows Col. Hans Landa, the “Jew Hunter”, portrayed with gusto and flair by Christoph Waltz (he deserves every award he’s received, and I am hoping he brings home an Oscar). His job is simple, to hunt and destroy every Jew he can find. As despicable as he is, you almost find yourself rooting for him.
The second story follows the Inglourious Basterds themselves, led by Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine. His band of misfits has only one goal, kill and scalp as many “Nazees” as possible. In fact, Raine commissions each of his men to bring him 100 Nazi scalps (this must come as a result from Raine’s Indian ancestry). At times Pitt’s dialect was annoying, but he played the part with just the right comedic edge.
The third story, and possibly the most interesting, follows the life of Shosanna, a Jewish escapee who runs a cinema in Paris. While her story is unique to the film, what I enjoyed most was how Tarantino treats both film and the cinema of this era. It was, to a degree, rather educational.
In addition to what I have mentioned, I have to also express my love of Tarantino’s homage to Leone’s spaghetti westerns of the late 1960s. I recognized this immediately and I felt it added to the film.
Needless to say, if you like Tarantino, you’ll love this movie, it’s not for the squeamish. Me, I’m glad I own it on Blu-Ray. I’m sure I’ll view it often.
I’ll admit … I made up this category just to include this film in my list. I picked this film up after Christmas on Blu-Ray after returning a gift I received from my wife that didn’t work. I was skeptical of flat out purchasing it prior to seeing it, but as a Tarantino fan I was fairly confident it would be good. Little did I know it would be great, which is why I made up this cute little category (I must admit, it’s not my favorite Nazi movie of all time, as that would be Raiders of the Lost Ark, or wait, maybe The Blues Brothers…no gotta stick with Raiders).
As you’d expect, this film is classic Tarantino. In fact, it may be his best work since Pulp Fiction (although Jackie Brown sure was good). The dialogue is crisp, the cinematography exquisite, the acting superb (it deserved the SAG for Best Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture), and the violence, well, it’s Tarantinoesque (which isn’t nearly as violent as you’d think … I may write about his specifically in another blog entry).
The story is fictitious, to say the least, but it’s as entertaining as any yarn you’ll see. In classic Tarantino fashion, there are three storylines that overlap in an unconventional timeline. The script is delicious. I can’t wait to see this film again to simply savor the dialogue.
As mentioned, there are three storylines.
The first follows Col. Hans Landa, the “Jew Hunter”, portrayed with gusto and flair by Christoph Waltz (he deserves every award he’s received, and I am hoping he brings home an Oscar). His job is simple, to hunt and destroy every Jew he can find. As despicable as he is, you almost find yourself rooting for him.
The second story follows the Inglourious Basterds themselves, led by Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine. His band of misfits has only one goal, kill and scalp as many “Nazees” as possible. In fact, Raine commissions each of his men to bring him 100 Nazi scalps (this must come as a result from Raine’s Indian ancestry). At times Pitt’s dialect was annoying, but he played the part with just the right comedic edge.
The third story, and possibly the most interesting, follows the life of Shosanna, a Jewish escapee who runs a cinema in Paris. While her story is unique to the film, what I enjoyed most was how Tarantino treats both film and the cinema of this era. It was, to a degree, rather educational.
In addition to what I have mentioned, I have to also express my love of Tarantino’s homage to Leone’s spaghetti westerns of the late 1960s. I recognized this immediately and I felt it added to the film.
Needless to say, if you like Tarantino, you’ll love this movie, it’s not for the squeamish. Me, I’m glad I own it on Blu-Ray. I’m sure I’ll view it often.
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