Inglorious Basterds – ****

Inglorious Basterds passed my 3DMT ™. I really liked the film a lot.

A friend had been in town recently and I was saying that I was apprehensive about seeing the movie because I didn’t like Death Proof and was worried about Basterds being good. Plus, based on the little I knew about the plot, I thought it’d be kind of an icky “Jew Fantasy Porn”. But I had nothing to worry about.

I’ll start with some negative comments first- IB is not a straight up war “team” movie like Guns of Navaronne, Force 10 from Navaronne, The Dirty Dozen or The Big Red One, or even The Great Escape- so if you’re expecting that (and some ads and interviews lead you to believe this), you may be disappointed.

If you’re expecting Jew Fantasy Porn- American Jews getting together and beating the shit out of Nazis, like I was, you won’t get that either. There is a that but it’s a bit… just a set-up for me (btw, I don’t think that Eli Roth is that good, he just fits the bill physically, he had no depth and I think his character is what the kids will remember from this- also was it him or Omar Doom as a d-bag in that bar scene in DP that made you wonder how people got cast?).

What you will get with Inglorious Basterds is a movie that has smart, solid dialogue that actually works with the movie (screw you Death Proof) and smart chapters that are wide open to interpretation.

Yes, there are chapters like in Kill Bill, but they break the film out into almost separate mini-films. The first ‘chapter’ alone should win awards for Christoph Walz (the bad guy, really really bad guy) and Denis Menochet.

That first chapter sets up the evilness of the main Nazi and a French farmer. It’s strong enough that I know I’ll buy the DVD when it comes out to watch it over again.

You get a lot of FILM for this movie – a fairy tale with all of the requisite pieces: once upon a time… a scary bear … bad things going on in the dark forest  ..  a nod to the new wave and love of French Cinema… and just a love of old movies as well.

I’m still chewing on the Shoshana ‘chapter’ in my head though. I think there are a lot of references that went over my head, but is worth a second look for me.

Go see the movie. And leave me comments if you have seen it.