After months of waiting for this film to be released. We finally got to watch it last night. It was exclusively showing in Robinsons cinemas. A big "THANK YOU" to Robinsons Cinemas for allowing us to watch the film without cuts.
The film focuses on two plots to assasinate Adolf Hitler who's attending a premiere in a French Cinema. Both plots aren't related to one another. And the fact that they both end up in the French Cinema is purely coincidental. Though set in World War II. This isn't really a typical war film. As Tarantino describes it, it's a spaghetti western set during the war.
You may think that this movie is filled with a lot of action and violence. But there actually only a few minutes of action in the film. Those few minutes are of course awesome. But the movies strength lies more with the script and the interesting characters.
In a Tarantino film, no character is too small. It's amazing how he can show a character only a few minutes. But you'll end up remembering them for a long time. And there are a lot of memorable minor characters here. Such as Stiglitz, the German officer who finds thrills in killing other German officers. Lt, Archie Hicox, a British officer and former film critic who finds himself in a stand off against Major Hellstrom. Major Hellstrom himself is also another memorable character.
Mike Meyers appears briefly in the film as a British soldier. When I heard he was going to appear in the film. I really couldn't picture how he would fare. Mike Meyers in a Tarantino film doesn't seem to mix. But in the end, I think he did rather well.
The most memorable small character in this film would be that played by Eli Roth. The Bear Jew. I think he has one of the coolest character introduction of all time. He's in a tunnel and all you can hear is a baseball bat banging on the wall. The bang gets louder and louder as he comes closer. And when he finally emerges from the tunnel, he is all so sinister and blood thirsty. Though the thought of him bashing someones brain out is rather appalling. You're a little bit excited to see him do it.
The major characters in the film are amazing as well. French actress Melanie Laurent plays the part of Shosanna, a jew who was able to escape from the massacre of her entire family. She now owns a small theater and is presented with an opportunity to avenge her family's death and wipe out all the Nazi head officers.
Brad Pitt is the main star of this film. He plays Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of the Basterds. Though it seems his screen time is a tad short for a lead. His few min on screen are just pleasant. Pitt has mastered speaking in hilarious southern accent. He speaks it so well that he still has it when he tries to speak Italian. It's one of my favorite scenes in the movie.
Christopher Waltz is labeled as a supporting actor. But he shines the most in this film. His performance gives us a classic villain. One for the ages. SS Officer Hans Landa, is a ruthless and highly intelligent officer. Scenes where he appears can drive chills to your spine for fear of what he may do. But the beauty in Waltz' performance is that he played Landa as a complete gentleman. In scenes where he appears, Landa is mostly gracious, polite and articulate. The fact that Waltz can play someone to be so charming and yet frightening is just brilliant. I think he'll definitely walk away with the Best Supporting Actor award during the Oscars.
Tarantino has a bizarre and unique way in making movies. His style of film is unique to him and I don't think can be imitated by anyone. I know some have tried and none have come close. Only he can end his movie with a rewrite in history and still pull it off. With Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino gives us his best work. The last line spoken by Aldo Raine in the movie accurately describes what the film is. It is his masterpiece.
I previously stated that the film '2012' could walk away with the best special effects Oscar for 2009. Boy was I wrong. Talk about speaking too soon. I totally forgot that this movie was still coming out.
