Directed by: Quentin TarantinoRunning Time: 2h 33min
i'm not one for the war movie genre much, but if i'm going to sit through two and half hours of World War II make believe, let it be one supplied by Quentin Tarantino. True to his violent, yet conversationally driven films of his oeuvre, Inglorious Basterds re-imagines second world war history through a group of soldiers bent on killing Nazis. Though the film doesn't do for war films what Kill Bill did for Kung Fu movies, it does offer us Col. Hans Landa, a film Nazi of gargantuan proportions, sure to go down in history as one of Hollywood's greatest villains.
Christoph Waltz bears mentioning, as his portrayal of Landa evokes as much charisma and charm as it does evil and menace. Never has a simple request for a glass of milk so chillingly foreshadowed such doom and gloom. Waltz speaks four languages in the film, and his ease at which he cunningly inspires fear and nervousness in each of them makes him all the more memorable.
The film has some amazing set pieces, (the film's first scene is an instant classic), which will be long remembered more than the sum of its parts. i may seemingly be too harsh in judging this film, as i do not think it ranks among Tarantino's five all-time best. In all honesty, i left the movie somewhat disappointed. That's not to say that Inglourious Basterds is not one of the year's best films. It's just, like Scorcese, Tarantino has given us such exemplary work, that to judge them against anything other than their own portfolio is to give serious short shrift to their cinematic measuring stick.
Grade: A-
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