Who is the Audience for This Movie?

People who like movies set in era of WWII.

What I Liked About This Movie

From all the movies promotion I was expecting the entire movie to follow the Basterds killing Nazis for a large chunk of the movie. It was a surprise to me that the first chapter (sections of the movie are split into chapters) has nothing to do with killing Nazis. For a solid 5-10 minutes you are given no clue as to what the purpose of the opening scene is. After some tense conversation you are hit with its intention and the movie starts on an incredibly ruthless note. Of course after that you are introduced to the Basterds, having the two separate but eventually interweaving storylines kept the movie from following any familiar plotline.

Quentin Tarantino’s writing has never been as good as it is in this movie. Sure there is a lot of overly stylized violence but the best parts of the film are the lengthy and tense conversations. Usually when there are long periods of people talking solemnly my attention starts to get lost. To keep that from happening to anyone though there are expertly placed stop gaps (usually comedic or violent) that break up the tension momentarily then dive right back into it.

With such a large cast you would think it would be hard to name the standouts in the case of this movie it was not. While everyone was really good Brad Pitt (leader of the Basterds) and Chistopher Waltz (Nazi Colonel) were awesome. Pitt’s character is quite funny and has numerous mannerisms that make him always interesting to watch. His character is used quite sparsely considering the star power he brings to the movie but the sparse use kept his characters shtick from getting old. As for Chistopher Waltz his character is the calm evil type and from the first chapter on you cannot take your eyes off of him. He seems like a calm person you could have a drink with but the things he says and does completely contradict his demeanor. Any scene he is in he manages to overpower every other character while smiling; it is downright unnerving. On a completely different note keep you ears open for a few voice clips of actors that starred in some of Tarantino’s other movies. There is also a Mike Myers cameo that is worth noting.

As I stated above in my opinion this movie contains the greatest writing Tarantino has done so far but I think it is also his best shot movie. Everything is sharp and colored so precisely in regards to the time frame the movie is set in. There are a wide variety of creatively angled shots and the backgrounds have a litany of small details you would have to freeze frame in order to fully assess.

By now you are probably tired of me praising this movie so I will end this review by saying you will not be able to guess what is going to happen at the end and it will leave a smile on your face as the credits roll.

What Didn’t Work For Me

When I began to recollect the movie for this review I was hard pressed to think of any instances that didn’t work for me. If I had to at say one thing, there are a few very brief moments where the long conversations linger a bit.

Should You Watch This Movie?

Inglourious Basterds delivers the type of movie experience I wish I could have more often. After it is over not only does it please me as a movie geek but from a pure entertainment perspective it is phenomenal.

My Rating (Out of 13)

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