It's been a good few years for villains in cinema, with each successive 12 months giving us at least one standout, albeit supporting, antagonist. 2007, great year that it was gave us two: Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in "No Country for Old Men", and Casey Affleck as Bob Ford in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (although Chigurh fits the notion of "villain" somewhat better than Ford). Then 2008 gave us, what else, Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight". Each of these three, whether quietly malevolent like Ford, or obviously deranged like the Joker, had a way of making an impression: Ford's strange aloofness throughout the entire film, Chigurh's conversation in the gas station, and the Joker's first hostage video. Not exactly low standards. So, who is in the running to be 2008's prime candidate for achievement in villainy? None other than Col. Hans Landa of the S.S., played by Christoph Waltz. Though he has been given the nickname "The Jew Hunter", he quite enjoys his work, going through an inspection of a French farm house in the film's opening scene with a casual demeanor and a smile. And this role, this wonderfully eerie role than doesn't even begin to show its full insanity until much later, is just one of the reasons Tarantino's World War II spaghetti western "Inglourious Basterds" succeeds.
Divided into six chapters, "Inglourious Basterds" refers to the Basterds, a group of Jewish-American soldiers dropped behind enemy lines to give the Nazis total hell, do not actually dominate the story, and this turns out to be quite a good thing. It's not that those segments featuring the Basterds are bad, but they contain the film's key weakness, which I'll touch on later. Let's focus on the positives first. The other story threads concern The Jew Hunter, and the plotting of Nazi downfall in a movie theater by Shoshanna Dreyfuss, whose parents murder serves as the opening chapter. Much of the early praise has gone to Mr. Waltz as The Jew Hunter, but Ms. Laurent (as Shoshanna) is certainly worth some attention. Mostly displaying a totally stoic expression, whether in the presence of Joseph Goebbels or a young Nazi celebrity sniper (Daniel Bruhl), she gives us several glimpses of emotion, and each one, no matter how fleeting rings true. Though it would most likely make a much shorter movie, I actually wouldn't mind seeing a deeper look into Shoshanna, considering that it is Shoshanna's scheme that helps make the film's finale as wickedly satisfying as it is. The Basterds may be in the title of the film, but it's Shoshanna who, along with Landa, becomes the most interesting to watch. In fact, just about all of the foreign cast members are more interesting than the Basterds, even Diane Kruger as a German double agent who spends all of her time with the Basterds. There's re stories filled with better flowing, more intrigue, and better characters, whereas in the Basterds segments, barely anyone gets to talk (those of you "Freaks and Geeks" fans who are hoping for a few moments of fun from Sam Levine? He doesn't even get a single line of dialogue, and his one action scene, shown in the first trailer, has been cut).
So what exactly is the problem with the Basterds portions? The answer is none other than Brad Pitt. The accent is amusing, but cartoony, as is Pitt's portrayal, which feels more like a glorified caricature, which is a shame considering all of the great characters Tarantino has written in the past. Though he probably had some of the best lines, Pitt's over the top accent and empty posturing make some of said lines less satisfying to the ear, in contrast to past Tarantino roles like Bill in "Kill Bill" or Jules in "Pulp Fiction", both of whom were given stellar monologues and delivered them perfectly. And then there's the internal competition from Waltz, who only gets to shine more at the end because of Pitt's surface-only performance. Making it worse is the fact that none of the other Basterds have any sort of depth whatsoever. Sure, Eli Roth can talk about how he and Tarantino created a backstory for Roth's Boston-born Donny Donowitz (aka "The Bear Jew"), but we never get any looks into that backstory, whether in dialogue, actions, or in flashbacks. In fact, all of the other Basterds are more fun to watch than Pitt, though we know little to nothing about them, save for Hugo Stiglitz (Til Shweiger), a Nazi-turned-Basterd. Luckily, despite Pitt's star power, there are plenty of Basterds moments without him. Best example? A scene in a basement where several of the Basterds rendezvous with Kruger's Bridget Von Hammersmark, only to find that the bar there is crowded with Nazis. In very Sergio Leone-like fashion, Tarantino builds suspense by lengthy conversations, turning up the tension slowly, notch by notch, only to have the payoff be quick-but-bloody bursts of violence. And what makes the scene work so well? No sign of Pitt, seeing as Lt. Aldo Raine can't speak German. Whew, what a relief.
Directing wise, Pitt's misguided interpretation aside, this is Tarantino at his finest, and like most of his movies, "Basterds" is, well...a movie. Pure entertainment, no social commentary or deep, sorrow-drenched character study whatsoever. The music is just as unconventional yet oddly appropriate and production values are great. But perhaps his best choice as a writer and director, was his decision to mess with history. In this politically correct age, it's become common to give bad guys, especially real bad guys like The Fuhrer, a sense of depth, Tarantino cuts us a break. The Nazi leaders, Hitler and Goebbels (the two we see the most of) and all the rest are simpering, blathering fools. There are no "Downfall"-esque moments of introspection where we get glimpses into Hitler's madness. We know what he did, we know he was bad, and as far as Tarantino's concerned, that's all we need. It's all of these things that help "Basterds" reach its finest, most satisfying moments in its grand finale, which is so delightfully insane and satisfying that when a woman's face appears on screen and laughs as flames rise, I kept expecting the screen in my theater to combust. It's this descent into dazzlingly mad historical fantasy that allows "Basterds" to succeed where other "let's-try-to-kill-Hitler" films like "Valkyrie", grounded in reality and facts, failed. We already know how those films are going to end, so Mr. Tarantino did the politically incorrect thing and messed with history, and the result is twisted bliss. And that's what entertainment looks like.
Grade: B+
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