[Source: Deccan Herald]English (A)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Diana Kruger
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Set in the historic year of 1944 when the Second World War was at its final phase, Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Basterds’ is a classy take on two plots revolving around the attempt to bring down leaders of the Third Reich.
First a band of Jewish American soldiers, ‘the Basterds,’ led by their valiant leader Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) carries out surgical strikes against Nazi troops in France. In the meantime, a lady Jew theatre owner (Melanie Laurent), is approached by a German soldier and actor (Daniel Bruhl) to host the premiere of his propaganda film in Paris. The plot then brings ‘the Basterds’, the Jew lady who is seeking her revenge and the German high command including Hitler under the roof of a theatre for the final showdown.
Far from reality, the film takes larger than life twists with its bizarre and bloody scenes. It is natural for many reviewers to get excited at the mention of Tarantino and his film but those people who have branded the film as “simply hilarious” and “brilliantly striking” are just exaggerating about this rather over-indulgent exercise. The class in movie-making remains intact but at the expense of substance.
Pitt is comparatively good as a fearless strike unit team leader. However, standing taller is Christoph Walltz as SS officer Col Hans Landa. Walltz has the look of a jackal under a sheep’s skin.
However, many Tarantino fans will be disappointed for there is not much morality involved. Ardent followers can expect a toned down version of ‘Pulp Fiction’. Over all, the film could either turn into one of the most boring film from Tarantino’s stable or it could be simply awesome for people enjoying his kind-of-movies.
