Sometimes you just have to appreciate a film for its sheer audacity. "Inglourious Basterds," directed by Quentin Tarantion ("Pulp Fiction," "Jackie Brown"), is one of those films. Not only is the film stunningly ambitious and confident, it is also one of the most challenging and unconventional mainstream releases in recent years. For starters, the film is two and a half hours long. And while the film is being marketed as a Nazi-killing action fest, only twenty minutes of the movie contain Nazi-killing action. Instead the film is filled with not one, not two, not three, but several scenes (some of them pushing twenty minutes) of dialogue. And, here's the kicker, most of that dialogue is in a foreign language. Characters speak in English, German, French, and even Italian. You know what that means! Subtitles. Still, this film was released in 3,165 theaters! That is a pretty hefty wide release. Why did the Weinstein Company take such a chance? Why didn't someone tell Tarantino to cut it down? Why didn't they just give it a limited release? Why was the budget 70 million dollars when the film was destined to only make half that much?
Needless to say, I was pretty anxious to gauge the reaction of my audience once the film ended. Would they complain about the subtitles? Bemoan the lack of action? Wonder (like I did) why the studio would release such a weird movie? To my surprise, as soon as the film ended, the theater erupted in instant applause. It did not feel forced. It was not just a few people. It was not a small applause that grew into a big one. It was an instantaneous, unanimous, excited applause. The movie going public had proven me wrong. I sat in my seat ready - almost excited - to hear the dissenting opinions from the non-movie buffs around me. But what I got was even more exciting - an audience embracing a weird, challenging film. I was dumbfounded by the reaction and almost embarrassed by my cynicism. In conclusion, let's just say it was a wake-up call.
Now, enough with this rather lengthy preamble and on with the actual review.
"Inglourious Basterds" follows two revenge plots. One of these plots follows Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), a Jew who is on the run after her family is murdered. The other thread follows Liteunant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), the leader of the Basterds - a unit of American soldiers known for their vicious murders of Nazi soldiers. Slipping in and out of both threads is Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), a cunningly evil detective whose nickname is the "Jew Hunter." And, of course, all of these characters and revenge plots collide in one of the best final acts in recent memory.
And it is not just the film's climax that is satisfying. The film's aforementioned lengthy dialogue scenes slowly build suspense from casual conversation to hectic violence. And aiding to this suspense is a trio of great performances. Brad Pitt seems to be having a blast as the Southern blood-thirsty commando and his performance is layered with delicious camp. Melanie Laurent is sympathetic as Shoshanna, while still conveying the character's thirst for revenge. And, finally, Christoph Waltz is outstanding in his performance as Hans Landa. Waltz inhabits Landa's stealthiness with ease and makes it clear that the "Jew Hunter" revels in his own cleverness. Waltz's Hans Landa will undoubtedly join the ranks of Heath Ledger's the Joker (2008's "The Dark Knight") and Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh (2007's "No Country for Old Men") to complete one of the best string of villains in film history (and I rarely make such hyperbolic statements).
Now, the film is not perfect. It does have a few minor flaws. The Basterd characters seem to conflict tonally with the world that Tarantino has created. While Shoshanna and Hans Landa seem to exist in a slightly altered reality, Lt. Aldo Rane and the Basterds reside in a Looney Tunes cartoon world. When these two worlds first meet, it feels jarring, but as the film progresses into its final act, the mixture becomes more natural as Tarantino solidifies the film's tone. Also, Eli Roth's performance as the "Jew Bear" is almost tortuously bad. The actor/director should stay behind the camera next time.
Despite the unevenness of the Basterd characters, their existence in the film is integral to the film's thematic ideas. The Basterd's vicious murders are presented in a way that is not only fun, but often hilariously kooky. The audience gets their kicks out of seeing the Nazis get their due on the silver screen. Similarly, the film's final set piece takes place in a movie theater where the Nazis get their kicks out of propaganda filmmaker Joseph Goebbels's new film "Nation's Pride." During this scene, the Nazi audience gleefully laughs and applauds as the Germans kill thousands of enemy soldiers on screen. To put it bluntly, the film that the Nazis are watching is not altogether that different than the film Tarantino has made. In fact, one could almost call "Inglourious Basterds" an anti-Nazi propaganda film. But really, the film is about the persuasive, manipulating nature of cinema. Tarantino's kinetic style and fun tone coaxes us into enjoyment. And even the more sympathetic Nazi characters are not treated kindly by the film's supposed heroes. One could even assume Tarantino is asking non-Germans (specifically, Americans) to look at their past and see their own nation’s brutalities (the massacre of the Native Americans, anyone?).
But what Tarantino is mainly commenting on - as mentioned earlier - is the power of film to manipulate its audience. The director is integral to this process. And by excessively name dropping directors in his script, Tarantino is reminding us of this. Thankfully, we do not need a reminder of how great of a filmmaker he is. "Inglourious Basterds," whether viewed as a fun World War II movie or a meta-comment on the nature of filmmaking, is a cinematic delight. In short, it’s glorious.
A-
Next up is "Shutter Island," the latest film from acclaimed director Martin Scorsese ("Goodfellas," "The Departed," "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull"). "Shutter Island" follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he investigates the disappearance of a female patient from a mental hospital. As Teddy gets further enveloped in the case, he makes some shocking revelations about the establishment. It is best to leave the plot description there. Having not read the original novel, I do not know much more about the plot. However, I feel that the film's trailer may give away some crucial plot details. You can check out the trailer 
