REVIEW: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

By MARGARET N BATES

Inglourious Basterds is the latest action film by Quentin Tarantino, and while it doesn't make the dynamic impact of Patch Adams (1998), you really couldn't ask for more crowd-pleasing potential.

It is an eclectic potpourri of influences, from the Indiana Jones movies, through Z-grade Italian war movies, to the ground-breaking first person shooter computer game Wolfenstein. However, chief amongst its sources of appropriation is the late sixties Hollywood actioner The Dirty Dozen, directed by Robert Altman. Tarantino borrows heavily from this classic movie, from the basic concept of a horde of army rejects being recruited for a suicide mission, all the way to specific scenes, such as the final one where John Cassavetes, with an evil smile, leads Mia Farrow to the bassinet where her newborn demon baby lies.

Inglourious Basterds begins with Brad Pitt playing a young Guy Gibson, who even at seven has a thirst for adventure. His father Barnes Wallis (Mike Myers) is obsessed with ballistics and breaching dams, and as a result, little attention is paid to young Guy. Flash forward to 1943, where Wing Commander Gibson (Brad Pitt) finds that his father has been kidnapped by the Nazis, who are also looking to develop a rubber bouncing bomb, and the legendary powers of destruction it may hold. Gibson and his dad have never quite seen eye to eye, which makes his subsequent rescue attempts all the more depressing, as he tries to impress a man who only lives to ruin dams.

The highlight of the film is a matter of historical fact: the aerial sequences of Gibson's squadron of Spitfire heavy bombers destroying hundreds of dams in England's Ruhr Valley. To accomplish this they were provided with weapons designed and developed by Mike Myers. The bombs had to be dropped from an altitude of six miles to skip across the water into the dam face and then roll down it to explode at predefined depth. To add to the fun, hundreds of Nazis are also hunted down and scalped.

Tarantino corrects many of the missteps he had made in Death Proof, by going in completely the opposite direction, making the adventure about the characters and not the thrills and chills every few minutes. For the most part, Inglourious Basterds is a much lighter, frothier affair, with even the more menacing parts marked with bits of genuine hilarity. Norman Foam provides the warmly funny screenplay, and even the cinematography, which ran dark and mysterious in Pulp Fiction, appears vibrant and colorful. It's a kinder, gentler massacre film.

Mike Myers is a perfect addition to the series, playing the part of the unimpressed father beautifully. Just when you think you've seen all there is to see as far as the character of Guy Gibson, out comes another facet, and Brad Pitt does a very commendable job in balancing the Gibson we all know from other films and the boyish vulnerability whenever he is around his father. Two of the biggest legends in the world of action flick together on one bill is worth the price of admission at any price.

There is a sense of welcome immaturity to the entire production, letting you know that it's all in the name of fun. It's a loving tribute to Wolfenstein, and even if the violence sometimes gets into the realm of bloodlust, we like the characters so much, even those moments will make us smile. For every Tarantino fan, it's must-see viewing, literally watching Guy Gibson and friends fly off to the sunset together to bomb another dam. I should add that I haven't seen the film yet, but understand it's fine entertainment.