“The German will be sickened by us, the German will talk about us, and the German will fear us.”
In Inglourious Basterds, director/screenwriter Quentin Tarantino presents his 153-minute WWII story in five chapters (the first chapter title is his original title for the film). The story centers on a special film event within the plot more than the rag-tag group of Nazi killers named The Basterds. Most of the soldiers in this group are Jewish-American with a few international exceptions.
Brad Pitt plays group leader Lt. Aldo Raine, descendant of Jim Bridger, an Apache resistance warrior. Aldo uses his famous genealogy as license to scalp Nazi victims. His even-keeled, Southern charm and signature neck mark work well with Pitt’s now considerable comedic talents.
The hero has some formidable adversaries on the other side. Christophe Waltz has a star-making role as Nazi Col. Hans Landa, the incredibly observant and intelligent “Jew Hunter” who drives the plot and delivers his dialogue well. “Because I'm aware what tremendous feats human beings are capable of once they abandon dignity,” says Landa while talking to Frenchman Perrier LaPadite, well played by Denis Menochet, in the memorable beginning sequence. Landa makes audiences nervous like Samuel L. Jackson's Ordell Robbie did in Jackie Brown, but Landa boasts more intellect as he consistently interrogates every subject he meets.
The more physical threat is Nazi Major Dieter Hellstrom, played by August Diehl. Both Nazi officers are intelligent threats who would make crack detectives in any other situation. In the obvious hero-villain scenarios, their Nazi association creates fear based on audience knowledge, not what the Third Reich does on the screen, which is very minimal. Tarantino puts this film in the hands of his characters, not history, though audiences can easily spot several historical characters from various nations.
French actress Melanie Laurent delivers a standout performance as Shosanna Dreyfus, a French cinema manager who meets Fredrick Zoller, played by Daniel Bruhl, who’s a cinema fan, an admirer of Shosanna’s, and also a Nazi officer. Their predictably complicated relationship fits perfectly into the plot. Bruhl’s casting is adept (echoing a bit of Tobey Maguire) as he creates a reluctant, yet unapologetic character. African actor Jacky Ido has a small but significant role as Marcel, Shosanna’s assistant.
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