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Friday, August 21, 2009
Tarantino’s war film not ‘Glourious’ but still delivers
Inglourious Basterds is no Saving Private Ryan - which to director Quentin Tarantino would be the ultimate compliment.
The difference is, with Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg made one of his best films. Inglourious Basterds is not one of Tarantino’s best films, but it is still a highly enjoyable romp that is unmistakably his, for better and for worse.
By now, Tarantino has become fixated on being the world’s most singular genre director, putting his unique stamp on the trashy fare he loves and giving it a professional sheen, as he did with the two Kill Bill movies and Grindhouse. So it goes with Inglourious Basterds.
Many have called the film “Tarantino’s World War II movie,” but that only scratches the surface. It would be more descriptive to call it “Tarantino’s zany revenge fantasy by way of historical fiction.”
Like many of Tarantino’s films, the movie follows several plot threads that intertwine. One involves a Jewish woman and movie theater owner (Melanie Laurent), who concocts a fantastic plot against the Nazis after they murder her family. Another involves a bloodthirsty band of troops led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) who call themselves the Basterds. They delight in literally scalping Nazis and branding the survivors with a swastika. A third involves an espionage scheme involving a German actress/turncoat. (Diane Kruger).
When he burst on the scene with the terrific one-two-three punch of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, Tarantino established himself as one of the most unique of all film directors. Even back then, he dealt with revenge fantasies, obscure film genres and multiple storylines but did so in a way that was refreshing.
With the Kill Bills and the Death Proof segment of “Grindhouse” Tarantino’s vision became insular. As fun as those movies often were, they felt increasingly like extremely well-made private jokes that would appeal only to geeks.
There’s nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but Tarantino’s increasingly narrow world view began to hamper his storytelling. He wasted much of the first half of Death Proof on pointless dialogue between a group of girls who didn’t interest me.
With Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino rebounds somewhat, even if he doesn’t reach the heights of his greatest work. The best parts of this movie are as good as anything he has ever shot. However, those are undermined by distracting, frustrating flaws.
The cast is outstanding, with the best performances coming from the unknowns, Laurent ought to become a star based on her outstanding work as the vengeful theater owner, and Christoph Waltz, playing a Nazi commander, makes a frighteningly diabolical villain. Much of the tension of the terrific opening scene of the movie comes from Waltz’s steely glare and calm demeanor.
Brad Pitt, understandably, is lead billed, but he’s really a key supporting player. Much as he did in Burn After Reading, he fearlessly goofs on his part, chewing the scenery and drawling every line with a hick accent (he pronounces “Nazis” like “gnat-zees.”)
Even with strong characters like these, what’s missing from Basterds is a strong thread that links all the stories, like John Travolta did in Pulp Fiction. While individual scenes were powerful, I felt the movie didn’t let me invest in any one character long enough to give me an emotional connection from beginning to end.
The other flaw, strangely enough, is the music, at which Tarantino usually excels. The soundtrack is an eclectic grab bag of sounds and genres, but this time, the anachronisms kept taking me out of the story. The sound is too similar to that of Kill Bill, even to the point that Tarantino re-uses a song from that soundtrack. That kind of laziness is disappointing
What redeems “Basterds,” besides the cast, is Tarantino’s strong visual sense. The movie, shot by Robert Richardson, who lensed “Kill Bill,” looks fantastic, and the pacing is exemplary, with many a suspenseful scene. The fiery ending gives the lie to that old Klingon proverb that “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
Ultimately, Tarantino has become a better director than he is a writer. He may not be as original as he once was, but Basterds proves he hasn’t lost his knack for delirious showmanship.
GRADE: B+
My capsule reviews of Tarantino’s other films can be found here.
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My short takes on the films of Quentin Tarantino
Without a doubt, Quentin Tarantino has carved himself a niche as one of our most distinctive film directors. My review of his filmography, however, suggests that niche may be becoming a bit too narrow.
Note: This filmography includes only the films Tarantino directed, not the movies he wrote but did not direct, e.g. True Romance.
Reservoir Dogs
Genre buffs may claim that Tarantino stole many of his ideas from other movies, but those detractors miss the point. His debut film about a jewel heist gone very, very wrong may riff on other movies, but the end result is a movie that only Tarantino could have made. It’s perhaps a bit self-consciously showy, but the show is never dull. GRADE: A
Pulp Fiction
No sophomore jinx here. Tarantino’s second film was such a landmark, that even a speech deleted from the film (Elvis people vs. Beatles people) is widely quoted. It drags just a little during some of the Bruce Willis story, but even that lull can’t keep the movie from being a masterpiece. GRADE: A+
Jackie Brown
This is the great underrated film in Tarantino’s canon. It doesn’t boast the iconic moments of Pulp Fiction, but his adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s Rum Punchrevealed a maturity in the director’s filmmaking he hasn’t displayed before — or since. If anything, it gets better with age. GRADE: A
Kill Bill Vol. 1
This crazy quilt of Tarantino’s favorite genres, ranging from kung fu films to Brian De Palma suspense thrillers, has energy and imagination to spare, and its his best-looking movie, thanks to the great cinematographer Robert Richardson. Uma Thurman makes for a terrific leading lady. However, hindsight reveals that it was here that a lack of discipline began to overtake the director. GRADE: A-
Kill Bill Vol. 2
On the one hand, the film is remarkable in that its very different in tone and style than its predecessor. There are many great moments, especially the fight between Thurman and Daryl Hannah, and Thurman’s escape from the grave. On the other hand, the movie has not held up so well over the years, with one scene after another seeming superfluous; Tarantino might have been better off with one movie instead of two. GRADE: B+
Death Proof
Tarantino’s half of Grindhouse; only runs 90 minutes and even then is still too long. His gift for dialogue desserts him during an interminable first half, although the second half comes roaring back with one of the wildest car chases ever shot. GRADE: B+
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