The best in a line of the ‘What If’ period pieces in recent film history … made perfect after years of practice.
That’s is, after all, how you get to Carnegie Hall.
It’s already fact and a half that Tarantino pioneered the dialogue heavy crime dramas. He even went above and beyond turning a few heads with the revenge film genre – now you can add period piece and foreign film to his list of accomplishments. The story this time around for me was very engaging – head and shoulders above the action it’s his best (so far). But this isn’t really about what I think so much as what may help you better get into what is going on.
First order of business the film is more than 50% of the time in another language besides English; which I feel is the smartest and best way to handle the material therein – but for the QT fan going in expecting ‘who knows what’ – This story takes place in Nazi occupied France; so it is kind of a given that most of the players will speak another language or two (or three). And this is not ‘Star Trek’ where the foreign language goes in for about five or six words deep before they switch gears into English – just letting you know.
The story itself begins in 1942. A “Jew Hunter†Nazi Colonel, by the name of Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), searches out suspect Jews hidden throughout Nazi occupied France – and systematically has them destroyed on sight. However on this particular day he was feeling extra generous and allowed himself to let a Jew girl escape; in a scene that almost mirrors something out of a Sergio Leone film – but different; as if to psyche out the ‘know-it-all’ film critic. Roughly 2 years later in 1944 – a crack team of American Jews has been assembled by one Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) in to doing one thing and one thing only… “killing Nazzysâ€. And killing they do – and they kill them Nazzys pretty good. Even more so with the tenacity and style you can expect from a Basterd.
What I’m happy to share with you is the quality of this piece – it really for truly is one of the best Tarantino films in a log ass while. Kill Bill and Death Proof where pretty fucking good too; but Basterds takes it back more to the story telling days of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction with the dynamic word play and – just on a higher level of storytelling. It has just been a long while since I was really into the story of a film – or even cared of the outcome of some of its characters. If you make the mistake of looking for action beats every couple minutes this is not that movie. Kill Bill and Death Proof were pretty good for it – but this I story time and you will get your Tarantino trademark moments aplenty from your Mexican stand-off to your clever word play, even Sam Jackson (more or less) drops a couple lines; and if you ‘re into Tarantino edition of Trivial Trivia there’s even a character relation between at least one of the key players and another character from a previous Tarantino story – here’s a hint: “The Bear Jewâ€.
As Sgt. Donny “The Bear Jew†Donowitz (the Basterd’s goto guy) actor Eli Roth made the character work; so glad Adam Sandler passed on that shit because Eli was totally that guy. For those not in the know Eli Roth is a director himself – also he bulked up for the role to look like a guy who actually swings a bat for pleasure and even put in a little time behind the camera with his brother Gabriel directing a segment for use in the movie. Another Basterd by the name Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz played by Til Schweiger – Is not much of a talker … well you’ll just have to go see for yourself on that one. He was actually in Uwe Boll’s Far Cry movie, which I haven’t seen but I recognized his face from the poster art (can you even refer to poster images as art these days?).
The revenge film dynamic based around Mélanie Laurent’s character Shosanna Dreyfus had me on edge and really feeling for the character – even up to the end. This show is full of amazing moments and very intense and visceral performances – definitely on my short list of the best movies there is; I would be shocked and offended if this one doesn’t make it to the Oscars – for Christoph Waltz.
