MYST #1: Inglorious Basterds
For those of you who don't know me very well, let me start
off by telling you something about me. I LOVE history, and have since a kid. So
don’t be surprised to see primarily movies that take place in history.
While at a friends a few weeks ago, we
were flipping through some channels and we saw that the last bit of the movie
was on. It was still just as funny even seeing all the movie again. When I
first heard of I thought it would be a “Saving Private Ryan” or “The Dirty
Dozen” type of film. Boy was I wrong. Quentin Tarentino made this into a War
and comedy movie the only like of which can match Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H*.
** Spoilers alert**
It's WWII in Nazi occupied France. The Nazis are exterminating Jews, the most prolific Jew hunter is SS
Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). The U.S. Army makes a unit, led by Lieutenant Aldo
Raine (Brad Pitt) comprised of eight Jews, to kill as many Nazis as possible. Raine tells each of his men to bring him the 100 Nazi scalps. He has his own
method of ensuring that those Nazis he does allow to live. In Paris, Joseph Goebbels (Hitlers Chief of propaganda) plans to debut his latest film, "Nation's
Pride". The film, based on the victorious military exploits of Private
Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl), during the battle Sicily in 1943. Because of his attraction to its pretty proprietress Emmanuelle Mimieux (Melanie Laurent), Zoller
convinces Goebbels to have the premiere at Mimieux's cinema. Landa is to act as
chief of security for the event. When the Americans get wind of the screening
and the fact that most of the Nazi leaders will be in attendance, Raine's team
is tasked with blowing up the cinema during the screening. They are assisted by
renowned German actress, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), who has been working as a spy
for the British. They believe luck is on their side when they learn that Hitler
himself is scheduled to attend. Beyond being found out, Raine's team face two issues. The first is Mimieux, who is Shoshanna
Dreyfus, a Jew who saw her family brutally murdered by Landa four years
earlier and has her own plans for the Nazis. The second is
Landa, who has another more personal mission for
his life post-war.
One thing that stuck out to was how
innovative it was. Like I mentioned before, it a lot like M*A*S*H*, the movie
has the theme of comedy in war as well as out right ridiculousness. This however takes them and makes them extreme.
Like the extreme gore Tarentino is known for and for jokes about killing Nazis
for example. Or when the "Bear Jew" More or less plays baseball with a Nazi's head As a person who enjoys
history, I liked how accurately it was portrayed. There were a few points that weren't
obviously, but that made the movie funnier to me. The war element is very
present to because there are things you would see in a World War Two movie,
blood, tanks, Hitler, Soldiers fighting and the list goes
on .
Another thing that I really enjoyed was the acting for the
movie. Normally, I don't care who plays who or judge people based off of their
experience or skill. But this movie had a smorgasbord of variety from little
known actors like Eli Roth and Til Schweiger to more well-known actors like Brad
Pitt and Diane Kruger. It also has great cameos by people like Quentin
Tarentino himself and Vince Vaughn just to name a couple.
I give this move 5 Basterds out of 5!
