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9/10
FilmFascination Rating
Inglourious Basterds is my favourite Tarantino movie (among the ones I have seen) and I consider it to be one of his best works. It is just so damn enjoyable!
We begin with a chilling scene where we are introduced to Hans Landa. May I say, one of the best film openings I have seen. Christoph Waltz immediately defines his character, and he owns it throughout the film. I think Christoph Waltz is one of the greatest actors alive. His character is chilling, scary but also charismatic and well mannered. It is not hard to look through the evil behind his well-mannered, eloquent talks – but he deliberately makes us feel as if it is. This happens many times in the movie. The nazi’s would joke about something and in the next moment seriously ask about it. Their authority and power just reflect instantly through small things like this. I was going to tell you about the start scene, but I don’t think I should. It is better if you experience it yourself.
There is just too much happening, or some might say, just one thing happening but at too many places. The movie takes place in various chapters. And eventually everything leads to this one event. I won’t discuss the plot here. Because there is no point in discussing it. No doubt the plot is interesting, but what it all comes down to is how the director shows it. And it couldn’t be in better hands. There is a scene where we are introduced to a German officer and a director Joseph Goebbel who has with his date, a woman who is also his French Translator and the scene cuts to a few seconds of him fucking her and then quickly back to the main plot. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that scene which somehow defined him for the rest of the movie for me. It was unexpected yet so effective.
The only thing is that the chapters which the movie consists of are really different in tone. And usually such a shift in tone would not have been a good thing for the movie, but it does for this one. It makes the movie swift and smoothly clubs when everything comes together. You wouldn’t even realize how those 153 minutes went by.
Tarantino is a master in the type of movies he makes. And this is one of the movies for the mass audience unlike ‘Pulp Fiction’. There is nothing to not like about it. When you think about the genre war, you would usually think about movies like Saving Private Ryan, Life is Beautiful or The Pianist. But this ain’t that type. Although it takes place in that stage, it never really scares us by its brutality like the movies in that genre do. It is not meant to do that. There might be some chilling scenes, but on a bigger picture all I can think about is how fun it was to watch it. You know, there is something called as ‘rules’. This movie shows how they must be broken. It is audaciously innovative on what could have been the history in an alternate universe.
That ‘Killing Nazis’ by Brad Pitt, that hilarious ‘Gorlami’ scene, or Landa’s ‘that’s a bingo’ scene. They are so iconic. You might have seen at least one of those somewhere. If you are going to experience them first time in the movie, you might just be the luckiest alive.
There is something about the characters Tarantino creates. They just stick with us. May it be Hans Landa, the southern accent Aldo Raine or even Shosanna. Credit must be given to the actors who bring them to life. Things might get extravagant and exaggerated at times, but they are the perfect amount. Even every other actor fits perfectly. You’ll believe me when you watch it.
Tarantino knows his music. He knows what to use and when to use. Every time I said to myself- ‘a song would have made this scene perfect’ and in a click, it started. He might have repeated some tracks, but who cares if that shit works. There is music when you want the audience to get hyped and there is music to ease the bloody scenes. It couldn’t have been better.
I fucking love this movies end. It is so cocky from Tarantino, but you cannot but love him for that. That truly is a bingo.
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Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures on this blog loading? I’m trying to figure out if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.