Possibly the second summer blockbuster is Inglorious Basterds starring Brad Pitt

Posted By Fargo Reviews ~ 3rd September 2009

Possibly the second summer blockbuster is Inglorious Basterds, now showing at the Century 10.  This is a World War II adventure starring Brad Pitt as the Lieutenant leading a squad of Jewish American soldiers parachuted into Nazi occupied France with the mission of wiping out the Nazi high command.  The movie is directed by Quentin Tarentino, and much of the discussion of this movie is about comparisons to his other works.  I’m going to avoid that, and review this movie as a single entity.

The movie is about Pitt(Lt. Aldo Raine) and his troops escapades and an SS Colonel called ”The Jew Hunter,” played spectacularly by Christoph Waltz.  Waltz hunts Jews but also is hunting Raine.  Spy intrigue abounds, and much of the movie is about conversations between Col Landa(waltz) and Frenchman, American prisoners, Alda and his prisoners among others.  IO think it important to listen to these conversations carefully, as in most cases nothing is as it seems and the plot is twisting and writhing like a wounded snake.  Landa is insufferably polite, and I bring this up to match with the one thing about the movie I found annoying: gore and humor in the same scenes.  However, if we are to believe the Nazi caricatures in other movies, this is completely in keeping with the Nazi mentality.

I like movies with plots with many twists and turns, and in this case I never knew where the movie was headed.  Every time I thought I had an idea of where it was going, I’d realize “no, that can’t be because….”

There is some action, most of it pretty brutal.  Other important characters include Shoshana Dreyfus, played by Melanie Laurent, a Jew that has at least temporarily escaped Landa’s clutches.  She is introduced in virtually the first scene of the movie.  She and Diane Kruger, as Bridget van Hammersmart, a German actress, turn in very strong performances.

This is a very smart looking movie, and I really enjoyed the apparent legitimacy of the sets.  The movie is in German, French, American, English and Italian.  When there is no confusion about which language is in use, the dialogue is in English.  The subtitles use the very nice device of using color, so there is no difficulty in reading them.

If you like WWII dramas or international intrigue, you can’t really go wrong here.  If you are squeamish or are looking for high society drama, see something else.

Script:  A
Acting:  A+
Scenery:  A
Special Effects:  Aren’t many.
Necessity to suspend disbelief:  Good question.  See the movie and decide for yourself.