Tarantino produces another winner
Sam Johnson
Issue date: 10/28/09 Section: Entertainment
The Nazis were all portrayed relatively homogenous by Tarantino, though the most incredible and laudable performance of the entire film lay in the key antagonist Colonel Hans Landa (Waltz). He is not so much the epitome of the Nazi as the most memorable of the group- even he who played Hitler was arguably forgettable, which brings us to one of the biggest flaws of the film itself.
Given that all the actors present are without doubt more than adequate actors and are accustomed to roles where the development of character plays a large part in plot, with the script provided by Tarantino it feels that many of them are very flat characters. This is by no means implying that they act as secondary actors do; rather, there are some scenes in which Brad Pitt seems that he is just itching to contribute and is confined to the role given, which one can only add so much zest to. In fact, the most memorable character of the Basterds would be Pitt, due much in part to his odd and zany performance (if not for his name) while all the other members of the group are just there.
Tarantino attempts to add depth by offering a back story to one of the members, who is an ex-Nazi that the Basterds broke free in return for his service to the group and also some man, bearing a baseball bat, who went by the nickname "The Bear."
Tarantino is by no means attempting to outdo himself. With such classics as "Reservoir Dogs" (1992), "Pulp Fiction" (1994) and the aforementioned "Kill Bill," it would be nigh impossible to do such. However, this does not imply that any standards of film should be lowered in assessing this specific work, and it is on this note that fans of either his earlier work (or those who viewed and enjoyed "Basterds") are strongly recommended to check out these titles.
Given that all the actors present are without doubt more than adequate actors and are accustomed to roles where the development of character plays a large part in plot, with the script provided by Tarantino it feels that many of them are very flat characters. This is by no means implying that they act as secondary actors do; rather, there are some scenes in which Brad Pitt seems that he is just itching to contribute and is confined to the role given, which one can only add so much zest to. In fact, the most memorable character of the Basterds would be Pitt, due much in part to his odd and zany performance (if not for his name) while all the other members of the group are just there.
Tarantino attempts to add depth by offering a back story to one of the members, who is an ex-Nazi that the Basterds broke free in return for his service to the group and also some man, bearing a baseball bat, who went by the nickname "The Bear."
Tarantino is by no means attempting to outdo himself. With such classics as "Reservoir Dogs" (1992), "Pulp Fiction" (1994) and the aforementioned "Kill Bill," it would be nigh impossible to do such. However, this does not imply that any standards of film should be lowered in assessing this specific work, and it is on this note that fans of either his earlier work (or those who viewed and enjoyed "Basterds") are strongly recommended to check out these titles.
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