Daily News August 20th 2009 - No, Quentin Tarantino doesn't bother to explain why he ignored his spell-check when titling "Inglourious Basterds." But when a man makes a movie this good, you can forgive him the occasional indulgence.
Aside from the name, in fact, Tarantino's WWII adventure indicates an undeniable new maturity. A fairy tale about the infinite power of film, it boasts all his swaggering trademarks: rapid-fire dialogue, gleeful violence, endless cultural references. But it's the sharp-eyed deliberation that makes the greatest impact.
The terrific opening, for example, does feature a hailstorm of bullets. What you'll remember best, though, is the haunted silence of actor Denis Menochet, playing a French farmer accused of harboring Jews. And you may never forget his sadistic interrogator, Nazi Col. Hans Landa (a knockout Christoph Waltz).
There will be those who say the movie is too violent, and others who don't think it's violent enough. But those complaints miss the point. For the first time, Tarantino's blood fetish comes infused with more humanity than shock value. Where history failed, film will succeed. So be warned: This isn't "Schindler's List" (or even a remake of 1978's "The Inglorious Bastards," which provided little more than title inspiration). "Basterds" blends several genres, but is far more spaghetti Western than historical epic.
There are flaws, of course, including a few discordant performances (ahem, Mike Myers) and the intermittent detour into self-congratulation. But if anyone can carry off a complete rewrite of reality, it's Tarantino. And as revenge fantasies go, he's delivered.
Aside from the name, in fact, Tarantino's WWII adventure indicates an undeniable new maturity. A fairy tale about the infinite power of film, it boasts all his swaggering trademarks: rapid-fire dialogue, gleeful violence, endless cultural references. But it's the sharp-eyed deliberation that makes the greatest impact.
The terrific opening, for example, does feature a hailstorm of bullets. What you'll remember best, though, is the haunted silence of actor Denis Menochet, playing a French farmer accused of harboring Jews. And you may never forget his sadistic interrogator, Nazi Col. Hans Landa (a knockout Christoph Waltz).
There will be those who say the movie is too violent, and others who don't think it's violent enough. But those complaints miss the point. For the first time, Tarantino's blood fetish comes infused with more humanity than shock value. Where history failed, film will succeed. So be warned: This isn't "Schindler's List" (or even a remake of 1978's "The Inglorious Bastards," which provided little more than title inspiration). "Basterds" blends several genres, but is far more spaghetti Western than historical epic.
There are flaws, of course, including a few discordant performances (ahem, Mike Myers) and the intermittent detour into self-congratulation. But if anyone can carry off a complete rewrite of reality, it's Tarantino. And as revenge fantasies go, he's delivered.
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