Warning!! This may be a long one as I am totally jazzed up about this movie. I have five words for all of you. Go. See. Inglorious. Basterds. Now! I don't know if its me but it seems very rare that there are many movies out there that are so good that you walk out the theater, grinning like an idiot, eyes wide, thinking "Damn, that movie was AWESOME!" But this one did that for me.
Let me preface this review with saying that I really love Quentin Tarantino movies, and this one is very Quentin Tarantino. For those of you that don't know what "very Quentin Tarantino" means, here's what it means. Long conversations between 2 characters about the stupidest stuff you can ever think about, yet its very entertaining. Example from IB, a conversation about the difference between a rat and a squirrel. Characteristic number 2, extremely gruesome, sudden, and often unexpected violence. Characteristic number 3, totally zany, off the wall characters that are so unique, you can't get enough of them. Characteristic 4, deaths of seemingly important main characters at totally random and unexpected times. This is probably my favorite because in Tarantino's films, almost every scene is intense because any one could die at any time. Especially in this film. But I digress. The last but not least, many parallel story lines that eventually intersect.
IB has all these characteristics and more. This movie is a story about WWII. Its about a group of Jewish American soldiers lead by a Smoky Mountain redneck Aldo Raine, played brilliantly by Brad Pitt (we'll get to him soon enough). Their sole mission is to hunt down Nazis or Nat-zees, kill them, scalp them, repeat. Its also about a Jewish girl named Shoshanna who is the lone survivor of her family's massacre who now owns a movie theater in which the movie's climax takes place. There's also the movie's "villain" a Nazi Col. Landa. Who coincidentally ordered the massacre on Shoshanna's family. All these characters converge on Shoshanna's theater where all of the Nazi leaders are going to be converging to view a Nazi film. Each character has their own plans for the gathering. None of which are peaceful, lets just say that.
This movie is about WWII as I said earlier, but it could not be more historically inaccurate, which is another reason why this movie is so bad ass. Things happen to Nazis that are gruesome and terrible and awful and violent and absolutely GREAT. Nazis are shown to be scum, you hate them and want them to die, and you almost cheer out loud when really bad things happen to them. The majority of these bad things happen at the hands of Pitt and his team of Jewish soldiers. I literally found myself having to keep from cheering out loud and screaming, "YEAH! Eff that Nazi UP!"
With a running time of 2 hours and 32 mins, I don't need to tell you its long. BUT not once did I feel like it was too long. In fact, I went in knowing how long the movie was, and almost checked my watch to see how long the movie had been going so I knew how much more I had to enjoy before the movie would end and my fun would stop. Kind of like when you are on an awesome date and you check the clock, not because you want to go home, but just to know how much longer you get to hang with that person.
This movie is funny but doesn't try to be funny. The characters are just that awesome and wacky that some of the things they do and say are so nuts that you can't help but laugh. Its incredibly intense at some parts, especially one scene that is a standoff that involves guns and testicles. Its also violent and gruesome, but not so much that you are turned off by it, but this is your warning, there are some gross ass parts. I loved it because most of the gore was directed at Nazis, but there were parts when the guys beside me said to himself "was that necessary?" Of course its not necessary! Its Tarantino and its awesome!
The real beauty, if you will, behind this flick, are the characters. Brad Pitt, who is my favorite actor and has been since Legends of the Fall, gives probably my favorite performance he's ever given, other than maybe 12 Monkeys. He plays this off the wall, hillbilly, Nazi HATING, mustache sporting, weird face squinting, snuff snorting, leader of a Nazi killing unit. His character has this crazy accent and voice, and everything he says, and I mean every word, is kind of funny, even though he's not really saying anything funny. TRIVIA point: he also sports an unexplained scar on his neck that is similar to what a scar from a failed lynching would look like. But every scene he is in is captivating. But on the other side, but just as weird and entertaining is the villain Col. Landa. Where Pitt's Lt. Raine is brute and too the point with his prey. Col. Landa loves to toy with his, having long seemingly friendly conversations with them, expertly building the tension in some scenes to an almost unbearable brink. Its worth seeing the movie to see these to dudes work their magic. The two leading women Shoshanna played by Melanie Laurent and Brigit von Hammersmark played by Diane Kruger, help carry the story along but don't really bring too much to the movie except give Tarantino an excuse to film feet (notice all his movies have at least one shot of a woman's feet). Til Schweiger plays the only German on the Basterds, and is great, but doesn't get nearly enough screen time. Michael Fassbender (the skinny Spartan in 300 who says they'll fight in the shade) plays a Brit who is the catalyst/cause of probably the most intense scene in the movie. Eli Roth (the director of Hostel) plays the Jewish Bear and while his acting isn't the best, he gets to do some of the coolest stuff in the whole movie (trust me, at the end, you'll see what I'm talking about). BJ Novak (Ryan the Temp from the Office) is in it but doesn't say a line until he is hilarious at the end. Mike Meyers is in there too, but i think the only reason he's in it is for the audience to say, "Hey there's Mike Meyers!" Also, pay close attention to the Narrator. I think you'll get a kick out of it.
In the end, this movie had it all. Humor, violence, sadness, a great ending. Movies are meant to entertain, and this one entertained me from beginning to end. I want everyone to go see this movie. If I had to rate it I'd give it an A+.
Let me preface this review with saying that I really love Quentin Tarantino movies, and this one is very Quentin Tarantino. For those of you that don't know what "very Quentin Tarantino" means, here's what it means. Long conversations between 2 characters about the stupidest stuff you can ever think about, yet its very entertaining. Example from IB, a conversation about the difference between a rat and a squirrel. Characteristic number 2, extremely gruesome, sudden, and often unexpected violence. Characteristic number 3, totally zany, off the wall characters that are so unique, you can't get enough of them. Characteristic 4, deaths of seemingly important main characters at totally random and unexpected times. This is probably my favorite because in Tarantino's films, almost every scene is intense because any one could die at any time. Especially in this film. But I digress. The last but not least, many parallel story lines that eventually intersect.
IB has all these characteristics and more. This movie is a story about WWII. Its about a group of Jewish American soldiers lead by a Smoky Mountain redneck Aldo Raine, played brilliantly by Brad Pitt (we'll get to him soon enough). Their sole mission is to hunt down Nazis or Nat-zees, kill them, scalp them, repeat. Its also about a Jewish girl named Shoshanna who is the lone survivor of her family's massacre who now owns a movie theater in which the movie's climax takes place. There's also the movie's "villain" a Nazi Col. Landa. Who coincidentally ordered the massacre on Shoshanna's family. All these characters converge on Shoshanna's theater where all of the Nazi leaders are going to be converging to view a Nazi film. Each character has their own plans for the gathering. None of which are peaceful, lets just say that.
This movie is about WWII as I said earlier, but it could not be more historically inaccurate, which is another reason why this movie is so bad ass. Things happen to Nazis that are gruesome and terrible and awful and violent and absolutely GREAT. Nazis are shown to be scum, you hate them and want them to die, and you almost cheer out loud when really bad things happen to them. The majority of these bad things happen at the hands of Pitt and his team of Jewish soldiers. I literally found myself having to keep from cheering out loud and screaming, "YEAH! Eff that Nazi UP!"
With a running time of 2 hours and 32 mins, I don't need to tell you its long. BUT not once did I feel like it was too long. In fact, I went in knowing how long the movie was, and almost checked my watch to see how long the movie had been going so I knew how much more I had to enjoy before the movie would end and my fun would stop. Kind of like when you are on an awesome date and you check the clock, not because you want to go home, but just to know how much longer you get to hang with that person.
This movie is funny but doesn't try to be funny. The characters are just that awesome and wacky that some of the things they do and say are so nuts that you can't help but laugh. Its incredibly intense at some parts, especially one scene that is a standoff that involves guns and testicles. Its also violent and gruesome, but not so much that you are turned off by it, but this is your warning, there are some gross ass parts. I loved it because most of the gore was directed at Nazis, but there were parts when the guys beside me said to himself "was that necessary?" Of course its not necessary! Its Tarantino and its awesome!
The real beauty, if you will, behind this flick, are the characters. Brad Pitt, who is my favorite actor and has been since Legends of the Fall, gives probably my favorite performance he's ever given, other than maybe 12 Monkeys. He plays this off the wall, hillbilly, Nazi HATING, mustache sporting, weird face squinting, snuff snorting, leader of a Nazi killing unit. His character has this crazy accent and voice, and everything he says, and I mean every word, is kind of funny, even though he's not really saying anything funny. TRIVIA point: he also sports an unexplained scar on his neck that is similar to what a scar from a failed lynching would look like. But every scene he is in is captivating. But on the other side, but just as weird and entertaining is the villain Col. Landa. Where Pitt's Lt. Raine is brute and too the point with his prey. Col. Landa loves to toy with his, having long seemingly friendly conversations with them, expertly building the tension in some scenes to an almost unbearable brink. Its worth seeing the movie to see these to dudes work their magic. The two leading women Shoshanna played by Melanie Laurent and Brigit von Hammersmark played by Diane Kruger, help carry the story along but don't really bring too much to the movie except give Tarantino an excuse to film feet (notice all his movies have at least one shot of a woman's feet). Til Schweiger plays the only German on the Basterds, and is great, but doesn't get nearly enough screen time. Michael Fassbender (the skinny Spartan in 300 who says they'll fight in the shade) plays a Brit who is the catalyst/cause of probably the most intense scene in the movie. Eli Roth (the director of Hostel) plays the Jewish Bear and while his acting isn't the best, he gets to do some of the coolest stuff in the whole movie (trust me, at the end, you'll see what I'm talking about). BJ Novak (Ryan the Temp from the Office) is in it but doesn't say a line until he is hilarious at the end. Mike Meyers is in there too, but i think the only reason he's in it is for the audience to say, "Hey there's Mike Meyers!" Also, pay close attention to the Narrator. I think you'll get a kick out of it.
In the end, this movie had it all. Humor, violence, sadness, a great ending. Movies are meant to entertain, and this one entertained me from beginning to end. I want everyone to go see this movie. If I had to rate it I'd give it an A+.
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