Tarantino Rewrites the History of World War II in Inglourious Basterds

Quentin Tarantino is a man who has reached a very enviable spot when it comes to movies. He can make the movies, and tell the stories, that he wants to tell and not have to worry so much about how things are received. Sure, I bet he still wants his movies to do well and he likes it when people say nice things, but he was able to indulge in "Grindhouse" and still come back to make the World War Two fairy tale revenge story "Inglourious Basterds."

If you are looking for real life history then you have definitely come to the wrong place. However, in this alternate reality history of World War Two and Adolph Hitler and how he met his end, the endings are much more rewarding than they were in the real world. This is the way I wish things had ended. In fact, I defy you to watch this movie and not thing "GodDAMN I wish it had gone that way."

It is a story told in fractured pieces and with various "chapters" which is Tarantino's favorite way of doing things. It does not start at the beginning and then work forward in a chapter-by-chapter basis, however. It tells the story of a very, very nasty villain named Landa (played with delight and pure evil by Christopher Waltz) and how he matches up against a group of American Jews lead by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). They are a small group dropped behind enemy lines to bring about terror amongst the Nazis. As Raine says, "We're in the Nazi-killing business and, brother, business is a-boomin!"

The scenes that are, strangely, the most delightful are the ones with Landa. His methods of interviewing suspects will leave you chilled to the bone. He is so charming, and seems so innocent, and then, slowly, perhaps over a glass of fresh milk, he closes his trap. Before long his prey is ensnared and then the teeth of the beast he truly is shows its face.

Taratino has been accused of being too in love with his own writing. I think there is some merit to that. I think that shows a little bit here. Others complained about how talkative the movie gets and I think there is some merit to that. There is a very, very long scene that takes place in a bar. The tension does build but, at the same time, the conversation seems to meander all over the place a bit. This is not uncommon in a Tarantino film. He was notorious for doing a similar scene in "Death Proof" between the heroines and all during a breakfast at a local diner. It went on much longer than it needed to.

However, these things can be forgiven when the movie is this well acted. Pitt seems to be having the most fun as he plays Raines with the most ridiculous southern accent you are likely to hear in movies. When he then uses that accent while also attempting to speak Italian, you are likely to laugh as I did.

Raines has demanded that everyone in his outfit is to bring him 100 Nazi scalps. He has filled the ranks of his Basterds with Jews, eager for revenge. He also brings in a Nazi soldier who has already tried wreaking revenge against the regime he cannot stand. Then there's the woman who runs the cinema who is secretly a Jew and how that cinema becomes the place where Hitler and the entire top-ranks of the Nazi regime end up watching the premier of a new movie.

The blood flows and flows often. However, if you love seeing Nazis getting what's coming to them (and who doesn't, really) then this is the movie for you. Yes, it is gory, but it is also a helluva lot of fun.

"Inglourious Basterds" is far from the greatest thing that Tarantino has done. I still think "Pulp Fiction" is probably his masterpiece. However, it is obvious he had fun writing this, the actors are having fun portraying these characters, and the audience has fun watching what happens to them all.

If you are someone who only likes your World War Two to happen exactly as history says it did, then you can avoid this. If you don't like blood flying freely from fresh wounds, you may want to give this a pass.

However, if you just wish that Hitler and his ilk had met a truly more horrible and terrible ending than they did? Well...