Over the holidays I got to spend a little time catching up on recent releases. We don’t get to the theater too often for one reason or another. At $10 a ticket I have to deem the movie worthy of seeing on the big screen. Usually big special effects are my primary requirement which scratches just about anything other than an action flick. Sorry, but a close up of George Clooney is just as dreamy on my tv as it is on a 30 foot screen. I digress. I had been looking forward to seeing Inglorious Basterds since saw the first trailer. My intention was to see it on the big screen, it looked like quite a spectacle. I love war movies for the hero element that so often permeates the genre. The stories of ordinary men doing extraordinary things for the sake of some ideal greater than themselves, what can I say, I’m a sucker for the noble ideal. From the trailers I was expecting something akin to Kelly’s Heroes meets The Dirty Dozen meets Band of Brothers. Sadly, I expected too much.
Perhaps it was unfair to set such high expectations for Basterds. I feel this is in part owed to the trailer, which looking back was more of a disservice to the public. The movie really isn’t about the Basterds at all but rather follows the life of Shoshanna Dreyfus, a young Jewish woman whose family is slaughtered by Nazi’s in occupied France. I knew full well this was no remake of the original, but rather a re-imagining by Terrantino. Even so I wasn’t prepared for the obvious lack of Basterds in the film. In fact there are only two scenes where you see the entire Basterds team together. I really had expected a lot more gore as well. Certainly there were some gruesome moments illustrating the Basterds merciless treatment of the enemy, but I was surprised by a very un-Tarantio lack of gratuitous violence. I don’t say this in criticism, but it just seemed out of character for the director.
I’ll admit right out I’m not a fan of his films. I’m perhaps one of the only males of my generation who disliked Pulp Fiction. Not that it was a bad movie, I just simply can’t abide sacrificing a story for the sake of cinematography. The choppy story telling which seems to be the hallmark of a Tarantino flick was pleasantly absent from Basterds. The cuts still allowed the story to flow from scene to scene and build the full tale while still capturing the essence of Tarantino’s style. Perhaps this was due more to the nature of the subject matter than a conscious decision, but I prefer to believe that his experimentation with Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs helped to culminate in his better films like the Kill Bill story. Tarantino’s are undoubtedly always artfully filmed, but I find myself needing more of a cohesive story. Perhaps not always believable but at least logical to my view of human nature. Maybe I just hang around a different sort of people.
One very Tarantino scene I could have done without. The clandestine meeting between the Bridget von Hammersmark and members of the Basterds was far too drawn out for me. The incongruity of the conflict between the characters, is 
quintessential Tarantino but unnecessary as a plot device. I would have rather the movie expounded on the activities of the Basterds, I mean isn’t that what we were there for? The ending left a bit of a sour aftertaste for me as well. Leaving an out for the high command would have allowed me to perceive the events having a possibility of occurring. Part of the escapism for me is allowing for the possibility. Perhaps reality would be more satisfying if Hitler and the high command had been destroyed by an allied attack, but that’s not the way it happened. Pesky logic dictates that if part of a statement is false then then the entire statement follows suit.
The acting was as good as you would expect it to be. I’ve become a big fan of Brad Pitt ever since 12 Monkeys. He certainly does not disappoint as Aldo Raine. He stands out even though his screen time is relatively short in comparison. It made me wish for more scenes with Aldo and his brand of Tennessee witticism. Both Christopher Waltz as Col. Hans Landa and Daniel Brühl as Frederick Zoller have very memorable performances as well. Waltz plays the type of villain you love to hate; cunning, charming, and merciless where Brühl is the epitome of the boy next door off to war. It’s easy to find sympathy Zoller and his unrequited infatuation with Shoshanna. All the actors and actresses gave very believable performances which can’t be easy in such a large cast but I dare to say the acting easily makes this movie.
Overall it was a fun movie to watch, definitely worth the rental fee. I’m certain I would have likely enjoyed it more on the big screen, but as it is I can’t bring myself to give it more than a Meh. Forewarned is forearmed though. Knowing what to expect definitely changes your outlook on a film as I can attest to after watching Terminator: Salvation, but that’s for another post.
