The Revenge of the Big Face

Review of Inglourious Basterds


Tarantino has made a big film about cinema and World War II and the anger of the oppressed. And the revenge of not only the oppressed but also of every young American man who has watched thousands of movies, relished in thousands of acts of murderous revenge, and placed himself on the screen during each one of them. The kind of person who has essentially lived through cinema a thousand lives he would otherwise have had no chance to live.

To say it is ambitious is to miss the point. While it is ambitious, and certainly takes liberties with history that we are not used to seeing in a WWII movie, its steadiness of tone and commitment to the values of cinema make it an important movie. By that I mean it should be watched, more than once, and mulled over and talked about. The fact that it brings together a combination of elements that is still odd and new enough to seem unorthodox and perhaps unseemly only proves that Tarantino is a true artist, in that he will not abide by the procedural boundaries of movies, whether art house or Hollywood. He does not make movies for a specific audience or for critics. He makes movies for those who love them. Chief among them, himself.

But what is he trying to say with this history-twisting movie about revenge? This fuck you letter to reality from the movies? Is he saying this is how things should be? Should Americans go around the world setting wrongs right, giving no attention to the rules? Or is "Inglourious Basterds" only meant to be a good night at the movies?

Tarantino's pacing grabs our interest. His trademark long scenes of dialogue with slowly building tension are punctuated by intense moments of violence. Violence that is ugly and clumsy and over quickly, like real violence. Much of the violence in IB goes by so fast, we barely have a chance to register what has just happened and find our minds trying to piece together the event while watching the next scene.

However, the heart of the film lies in the link between Baine's Apache heritage and the Verboten Jewishness of his "basterds." This is the best part of the American love of freedom and the underdog. Then, there is the dark side. The film has pathos but no real moral sense. The somewhat simplistic characterizations made me uncomfortable at times and had me wishing for a bit more thoughtfulness on Mr. Tarantino's part when dealing with such powerful themes.

Ah well, who knows? Maybe if Hollywood had been in charge of WWII, this is how it would have went down.