Review of Inglourious Basterds (2009) by Zachary P — 24 Jul 2013

I wasn't sure what to expect coming into Inglourious Basterds. It was a $5 impulse buy (what a shame), and my only other Tarantino film to date was Pulp Fiction. That one was the hardest R I'd ever seen, so I was a little worried about watching a war movie from the same writer/director. The best way to describe the sensation of watching is that it was like cutting off a bite of perfectly cooked steak and rolling it around in my mouth, savoring the flavor as long as possible.

The idea is that Brad Pitt's Basterds are going to try to end World War II with their Apache guerilla tactics, but the wrinkle is that Christoph Waltz's "Jew hunter" is their nemesis. Tarantino masterfully walks the tightrope of suspense throughout. Coming in, I'd thought this was an action flick (and this certainly has its share of that), but I'd label it more on the side of thriller; the whole thing is a series of will-he-or-won't-he moments, culminating in one of the gutsiest endings I've ever seen (itself a will-Tarantino-or-won't-he situation).

There's not much to dislike about Inglourious Basterds--except for the violence/gore (there's a bit of sex/language, but no more than any other soft R, I think). Between the scalping and the swastika carving on foreheads, this is not a movie for the faint of heart, children, or mothers. I found myself flinching a few times, thinking, "we're supposed to be the good guys!" Basterds, however, transcends that. It's a movie about stereotypes doing things they're not supposed to do: American, German, French, Jew, and Tarantino. I think that...not necessarily excuses, but explains most of what I reacted to.

However, with that caveat of violence made known, I would encourage you to see Inglourious Basterds. The pacing is perfect, the suspense is brilliant, the characters are amazing, the tone is pitch-perfect, and the praise is gushing a little too freely. Just watch the movie already.