THE BASTERD'S ON DUTY

Tarantino’s latest flick might just be his next masterpiece

by EMMA SCIANTARELLI

FROM ISSUE # 166 (October 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Mike Myers, Diane Kruger, Cristoph Waltz
Runtime: 153 min
Genre: War Drama
Rating: 4/5

If there is one theme Hollywood loves to make movies about, it's war. So what sets Inglourious Basterds apart from the endless list of movies about World War II, except for its erroneous title? Two words – Quentin Tarantino. With cult classics like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and Natural Born Killers to his name, Tarantino's genius is written all over his latest production.

Starting out in Nazi-occupied France in the 1940s, the bloody scenes Tarantino is known for start off early, though their frequency is not as high as might be expected. A young Jewish woman, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), narrowly escapes the brutal murder of her family members by 'Jew hunter' Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Meanwhile, a motley crew of soldiers known as the Basterds, led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), is chosen to instill fear among the Nazis. The Basterds, an urban legend of sorts, set out on a mission to kill every Nazi they come across. They are instructed specifically to kill every Nazi and not to teach them lessons about 'humanity'. As Lieutenant Raine puts it in his heavy accent, "Nazi ain't got no humanity." Shosanna and the Basterds cross paths one fateful evening in Paris as Shosanna is planning revenge on her family's murderer by hosting the premiere of a German propaganda film on the theatre she runs. The Basterds, knowing that every single Nazi of note will be attending the premiere, also launch an assault.

Ultimately Inglourious Basterds is about revenge. With American soldiers making it a goal to scalp 100 German soldiers each and depicting Hitler´s death as occurring at the hand of the Americans rather than suicide, the grandiose historical inaccuracies in the film have raised some eyebrows. Others, however, have defended the creative liberties Tarantino took, saying that if he makes a purely fictional movie, he has the right to rewrite history any way he wants to. 

Tarantino might not have been keen to be true to history, but he was adamant about being true to language and ethnicity. Although directing a multilingual film is quite a challenge, Tarantino´s direction is flawless. The casting is top-notch. All the characters are so well written you feel you have real insight into their natures. And in true Tarantino fashion, a non-linear plot defines the narrative.

Tarantino is the kind of writer-director whose works are difficult to define without using the words 'outstanding', 'phenomenal' and 'brilliant'; because anyone who loves cinema knows those are the only kind of films the man makes. Crossover between the roles of writer, director, actor and producer aren't uncommon in the film industry, but doing all four and doing them remarkably is. That´s just one of the reasons Tarantino is in a league of his own. Never wasting his audiences´ time, Tarantino is a true filmmaker who crafts a good story with thoughtful, witty dialogue, intentional casting, and just the right amount of black comedy. Lieutenant Raine says it all in his final line, "You know something, Utivich? This just might be my masterpiece." It just might be, it just might be.