Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

I found Inglourious Basterds to be a very entertaining Tarantino film and probably one of my favourites by the director. I like how Tarantino subverts the power of the protagonists, giving power to the victims. The film is essentially about a Jewish girl who takes revenge for her family’s death at the hands of Colonel Hans Landa in Nazi−occupied France by arranging to burn down her cinema, where the premiere of a German film is to take place (and which will be attended by top German officials, ie. Hitler, Goebels). This plan ends up crossing paths with a group of Jewish−American soldiers (the ‘Basterds’) who have their own scheme to blast the theatre.

The acting in Inglourious Basterds was great and a large part of why I think this film really worked for me. Brad Pitt played a loud−mouthed American and some of his lines were the best comedic moments of the film (including an amusing portrayal of the Italian language). Diane Kruger, a favourite of mine thanks largely to her role in the National Treasure films, was again convincing as German actress Bridget von Hammersmark (who is acting as a spy for the British). However, the main French girl Shosanna Dreyfus (played by Mélanie Laurent) was very impressive − you never knew exactly what she was feeling or what she was planning to do. Daniel Brühl’s character, German Pvt. Fredrick Zoller, was also an engaging element to the film. Spending most of the film trying to win over Shosanna, I felt myself warming up to this German character. We see him praised as a hero for all the killings he has committed but we also see glimpses of what can perhaps be hesitation and even guilt at times. However, the fantastic scene in the theatre when Soshanna tells him to close the door then turns around and takes out a pistol from her bag and shoots him, before walking over to his body on the ground (perhaps regretting her actions slightly), then the fact Frederick rolls over and shoots her − it was a real twist in what could’ve been a typical scene where the girl then realises she is in love with him. But instead, that scene almost re-establishes my gut feeling of slight dislike and distrust for the German soldier. Lastly, of course, I think perhaps my favourite character − or acting performance − in the film would be Christoph Waltz’s Col. Hans Landa. If I thought Frederick was giving me mixed feelings, well that is nothing compared to this man, this clever, sneaky man. Sometimes he seemed sincere, at other moments, conniving and the ending where he is pretty much giving himself up − it all adds up to an individual who just keeps you guessing with his intentions. Ultimately, it was well-worth watching Inglourious Basterds − violent (not surprisingly) but unusual in many ways and definitely engaging.

4.5/5