(no spoilers)
I really liked this movie. Tarantino makes such gleeful films- there’s a sort of mad mischief in his storytelling, like a kid who ate eleven pixie stixx and then ripped off his pants and ran down the side of the highway with his little pink bum showing, yelling I LOOOVE MAKING MOOVIEEEES .
The movie is visceral, tense, funny, suspenseful and has great performances- fun turn for Brad Pitt, who kicks butt in comedic roles, and Cristoph Waltz’ pipe-smoking Colonel Landa is off the hook, holy crap what a wicked character. Tarantino tends to write really strong female characters, too- Melanie Laurent’s Shoshanna and Diane Kruger’s Bridget are both riveting, unpredictable, and- this is relatively rare in a female character- principled and ideological as well. I see a lot of female characters who care about their man or their children/desire for children, but how often do you see women in movies for whom political ideology is the driving motivation? Nice one, QT. Super-fun to watch.
And, as I discovered today, the screenplay is fantastic. Not only is the story strong, but Tarantino’s technique for telling it is great too- the screenplay is really readable, fast-moving, and exquisitely paced. Supa-good. The Inglourious Basterds screenplay is online. Well worth reading if you’re into that sort of thing. Also highly recommend the flick.
Thanks to Torquil for the tip.