Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood has been getting rave reviews. In fact, Quentin Tarantino’s films have all been successful. Even the Hateful Eight, which some regard as perhaps not the best in Tarantino’s collection, but still a good film. From Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, to D’Jango Unchained, every movie has its different elements that make it some of the best content in cinematic history. Only one movie, though; is Tarantino’s masterpiece and that’s Inglorious Basterds.
Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France, Tarantino delivered. What a beautifully done movie to capture so much in one film. From Christoph Waltz’s unforgettable performance as Colonel Hans Landa, to Brad Pitt’s insatiable portrayal of Aldo Raine, there was not one person in this movie that did not deliver their best. Just the way that Inglorious Bastards opened, to a tense scene between Colonel Landa and a French farmer who was hiding Jews from Nazi; you were given a glimpse of what to expect from this movie.
The movie is called Inglorious Basterds. And the Basterds were the best. We had a group of Jewish Americans who all rallied together for one mission and one mission only, kill Nazis. Pitt’s Aldo Raine was a terrific character who was from the bluegrass state of Tennessee and frankly, a fan of simple things. Alongside him was Eli Roth as Donny aka the Bear Jew. This intimidating character provided one of the best scenes in the movie, as I can just imagine it in my head: “Donny, we got a German that wishes to die for his country. Oblige him.”
Speaking of standouts scenes, let’s talk about the card game. Michael Fassbender, who is always on point; works incredibly well as Archie Hicox and across from Diane Kruger’s Bridget von Hammersmark. In a nail-biting scene, these two along with Til Schweiger and Gedeon Burkhard must not give away their real identities while in a pub full of off-duty German soldiers. That is until August Diehl’s Hellstrom figures them out. As soon as Fassbender put up three fingers, we all knew that it wouldn’t end well. Who says that Diehl can’t act? He and Fassbender made that scene.
I would be remiss if I didn’t, of course; talk about the heart of this movie. Mélanie Laurent played Shosanna in this movie, the only survivor from the family massacred at the beginning of the film. Now under an alias in France, she lives a fairly mundane life with her lover and operates a cinema. That is until Daniel Bruhl’s Fredrick Zoller takes an interest in her. While at first, his interest in her is annoying at best, Shosanna sees his insistence on holding a movie premiere at her theater as an opportunity to take down everyone in the Third Reich.
That is, if Hans Landa doesn’t foil her plot first. Which, that scene in the restaurant between Landa and Shosanna, the emotions that Shosanna poured out as soon as Landa left, honestly left me speechless. So beautifully crafted and so full of heartbreak, it is just one of the standout performances of the movie.
Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds takes a much different direction than historical events, though we all wish it had really ended in real-life the way it had in the movie. Just an absolutely perfect sequence of events, from Landa to the Basterds, the movie delivered. Not only did Tarantino craft the perfect movie in both a story sense and a visual sense, but also with his music. The director always pairs his movies well with music, but he really outdid himself this time.
The visual storytelling in “Inglourious Basterds” is truly commendable, and his attention to detail is particularly evident in his use of close-up shots. One memorable example is the scene where Colonel Hans Landa catches Bridget von Hammersmark and insists on examining her foot. Tarantino’s decision to emphasize this specific detail not only adds an element of tension and intrigue to the scene but also showcases his keen eye for capturing fine details. It’s worth noting that Tarantino has been the subject of rumors regarding a supposed feet fetish, and while the validity of such claims is debatable, one cannot deny his mastery in shooting and highlighting even the minute aspects, like feet, to enhance the visual impact of his storytelling.
Ten years later and it’s still the best Tarantino film. What are your thoughts about Inglorious Basterds? Let us know!
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