Tarantino is easily my favorite director. He made Kill Bill which is probably my favorite movie of all time (I consider both parts as one movie) and hasn't made anything I really didn't like (something I can't say about any other director). Pulp Fiction was perfect and Reservoir Dogs was pretty damned awesome, too. I even liked Jackie Brown, though it wasn't his best.
This was new Tarantino, though. This was WWII Tarantino. So, how did it stack up?
Very well, thank you. You would think this movie would be super-duper gory. Think about it: the basic plot is about a troop of U.S. Jewish soldiers hunting Nazis through occupied France and killing them violently before scalping them. They let one guy go to spread the word, but they take the time to carve a swastika in his forehead so everyone will know he was a Nazi. But it wasn't overly violent. I mean, it's war so there is violence and blood, but nothing like Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction. In fact, it was mostly guys sitting at tables talking.
Really.
It starts with two guys talking at a table. Then Brad Pitt talking to some guys. Then some Nazis talking to a woman at a table. Then the Basterds (The Jewish troops) talking to a traitor at a table at a bar. Then a bunch of Nazis watching a movie. But it wasn't slow and it wasn't boring. Tarantino's skill with dialogue is uncanny. He can make all these people sitting at a table talking suspenseful and tense.
And man, was this movie funny. So many of the characters were characatures or blatant stereotypes. The absurdity of it all was fantastically funny.
Brad Pitt was absolutely hilarious with his stereotypical portrayal of a grizzled mid-western war vet. Eli Roth as a Bostonian with some sociopathic tendencies was great. They guys who played Hitler and Groebbel were both excellent with their blatantly over-the-top-evil portrayals of those historical figures. Hell, Mike Myers even made a goofy little cameo!
The woman who played the Jewish cinema owner really was relatable and made you feel her anger and frustration putting the humanity in the film.
The man who played Landa, the "Jew Hunter", stole the show. He was funny, creepy, terrifying, subtle, over-the-top all in equal measure. You always knew where he was and wanted to keep an eye out for him because you always felt his evil. He always seemed to know more than anyone else on screen and was ready to use that knowledge to push forward his agenda. All the while, he is talking to everyone like he's their best buddy or like he's just a normal guy out there doing his job, no matter how unpleasant that may be. Excellent depiction of a character that will go down in film history as one of nastiest.
Inglourious Basterds is long. Like 3 hours long. It's not slow or anything, but by the end your butt's a little sore. When I saw it, we had an inadvertent intermission, which in retrospect was very nice.
Go see this film. Seriously, it's a fun fable with some of the most interesting characters you are going to see in a movie this summer!
Oh, yeah, Grindhouse was freakin' great, too!!!
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