*By Tim Freeman*
Quentin Tarantino strikes again with his new film “Inglourious Basterds,” another high-action, violent and gloriously entertaining movie straight from his dangerously imaginative mind. The flick revolves around a bloodthirsty and vengeful group of Jewish-Americans wreaking havoc on Nazi-occupied France. As Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) states in the beginning of the film, “We in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin.”
The film follows two vengeful groups who separately plan to attack a Nazi gathering. Shoshanna Dreyfus’ (Melanie Laurent) family was massacred by Nazis; she plans on getting revenge by burning down the theater where all of the top German officers, including the comically-played Adolf Hitler (Martin Wuttke), will watch a movie premiere.
At the same time, Brad Pitt’s group, known as the Basterds, catch wind of this Nazi-gathering and put a plan of their own into action by sneaking in bombs and concealed automatic machine guns.
In the final, climactic scene, the two plans come into fruition as Dreyfus locks the doors of the theater and sets it on fire using old and extremely flammable movie films, while the Basterds detonate their bombs and from the box seats fire rounds of bullets into the panicking crowd. They even shoot Hitler and proceed to fire bullets into his dead and thoroughly mutilated body.
The gruesomeness and comedy are surprisingly balanced perfectly throughout the movie. Despite the extreme amounts of death and destruction occurring, the final scene manages to remain light-hearted because of the absurdity of the events going on. The end completely contradicts actual history, creating a combination of shock, humor and glee that is unmatched this year.
Pitt’s role as the basterd leader shows him at his best. The character’s southern drawl showcases his versatility and knack for comedic timing. The other members of the cast were fantastic including actor/director Eli Roth and B.J. Novak from “The Office.”
One of the few knocks on Inglorious Basterds comes with its long, drawn out dialog. Although Tarantino is able to use conversation to raise tension and create drama, he sometimes overextends this, resulting in boring scenes. The opening scene, along with a bar scene later in the movie, are prolonged with random and pointless conversation.
But even with the extra dialogue, the movie remains a must-see. It creates the perfect combination of violence and comedy that’ll keep audience members entertained long after leaving the theater.
