Inglorious Bastards
R
2 hours, 32 minutes
Starring: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, and Diane Kruger
Tarantino is back kittens! Who doesn’t love a good Quentin Tarantino movie? I have to say that he makes a trip to the cinema an experience within itself. This is one of the many reasons I will skip to the theater to see the latest he has to offer.
Inglorious Bastards tells the story of those fighting the good fight in Nazi occupied France. A group known to the Nazi’s as ‘The Bastards’ find their way through France brutally taking down any Nazi they come across. The story is a bit convoluted and follows not only the Bastards, but a British solider, a German actress, and a young Jewish woman seeking revenge.
Tarantino is a master with dialogue as well as building tension in the most unassuming way. You watch the scenes play out and he lets the tension build slightly until you find yourself shifting in your seat because you are that uncomfortable and worried for the characters.
A lot of the scenes seem to go on a little longer than needed. As said before, Tarantino loves his dialogue. As fun as that all is, sometimes I feel like we lose track of the story at times. However there are moments where it seems to go on too long and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere only to have a big pay off. The very first scene is a great example of this.
What I love about Tarantino movies are that he is a very aware filmmaker. He throws conventions into his movies only to play with and alter them. You have to be a big movie fan to truly appreciate what he puts into these films.
As big of a fan as I am, I can’t say that this was his best attempt. It wasn’t his best, but I can’t say it was his worse either (I reserve his Worse Ever award for Death Proof). It’s worth watching at least once, but there is something about the pacing and overall story that falls just a little flat. It is still filled with top notch violence, great comedy, and shocking realizations.
The best thing about this entire film were the performances. I strongly believe that Brad Pitt should just do character work for the rest of his life. If you look at his performances in Inglorious Bastards and Burn After Reading, you will understand my position on the matter. Horror director/writer Eli Roth lights up the screen. I literally could not take my eyes off of him.
The absolute jewel of this film came from Christoph Waltz. He is completely new to American audiences as all of his previous work was in German films. I will say that he is the guy to watch and probably the best performance to come out of the whole movie. He might be the number one reason to see it in the first place.
3 out 5
Interesting. I felt that the first scene was perfect though =|. A strong family man doesn’t just break down under some one’s thumb in mere seconds. I also agree Christoph Waltz was the jewel of the film.
I agree with you. The first scene might be my favorite. I apologize if that was confusing. I was trying to say that it’s LONG dialogue with a huge pay off at the end.
Ok, Eli Roth never looked so hot!
Ah 8). I’m easily confused don’t worry.
All of the dialogue is useful and drowned in meaning/importance. I never felt it ran long, perhaps it’s because I had nachos…but I thought this was Tarantino’s most daring film, and subsequently his best film to date. Nobody will ever make a film like this; Tarantino makes his signature big, broad, and beautiful. It’s un-toppable, in regards to the ‘revisionist’ genre.
This is the great movie. Tarantino always makes a different movies. This movie is is special too.