Thank you so very much Quentin Tarantino. You continue to provide endless entertainment for American theatergoers. "Basterds" is, simply put, a masterpiece. It embodies all things Tarantino. The movie has a very strong script, plenty of stomach-wrenching gore, an superb soundtrack, and a strong cast.
"Basterds" requires theatergoers to abandon a strict definition of the word "history." Many Americans have a very reverent manner in dealing with all things WWII-related and, save for Mel Brooks and a few other choice individuals, generally frown upon "disrespecting" our veterans. "Basterds" is a total departure from this mentality.
Let's be honest with ourselves, we're a rather uptight society, and you would be showing a surplus of naívety to think that the overall scheme presented in this movie isn't something that crossed the minds of every American solider involved in WWII.
In the 5th act, Tarantino lets the audience play a part in the biggest mind-f**k since "Johnny Got His Gun." For the last 20 or so minutes of the movie, we watch, in agony and aggravation, as Nazis take delight in the portrayal of one Nazi sniper killing nearly 300 Ally soldiers. As we watch the Nazis laugh hysterically, we are filled with a disgusting feeling that makes us want to grab some friends and skin some Gerrys. But just as we wield our daggers, Tarantino turns the tables. He burns down a theater full of Nazis and lets us watch as Eli Roth blows Hitler and Goebbels' faces off with a machine gun. Now he's got a theater full of Americans laughing at a movie depicting hundreds of Nazis getting incinerated and gunned down. Who's laughing now?
And so, it is for that reason that I say "Thank you" to Quentin Tarantino. He makes it okay to turn WWII, the darkest moment in our world's history, into something fantastic and wild.
"Basterds" requires theatergoers to abandon a strict definition of the word "history." Many Americans have a very reverent manner in dealing with all things WWII-related and, save for Mel Brooks and a few other choice individuals, generally frown upon "disrespecting" our veterans. "Basterds" is a total departure from this mentality.
Let's be honest with ourselves, we're a rather uptight society, and you would be showing a surplus of naívety to think that the overall scheme presented in this movie isn't something that crossed the minds of every American solider involved in WWII.
In the 5th act, Tarantino lets the audience play a part in the biggest mind-f**k since "Johnny Got His Gun." For the last 20 or so minutes of the movie, we watch, in agony and aggravation, as Nazis take delight in the portrayal of one Nazi sniper killing nearly 300 Ally soldiers. As we watch the Nazis laugh hysterically, we are filled with a disgusting feeling that makes us want to grab some friends and skin some Gerrys. But just as we wield our daggers, Tarantino turns the tables. He burns down a theater full of Nazis and lets us watch as Eli Roth blows Hitler and Goebbels' faces off with a machine gun. Now he's got a theater full of Americans laughing at a movie depicting hundreds of Nazis getting incinerated and gunned down. Who's laughing now?
And so, it is for that reason that I say "Thank you" to Quentin Tarantino. He makes it okay to turn WWII, the darkest moment in our world's history, into something fantastic and wild.