Weekly Review -- Theatre of the absurd

Inglourious Basterds (2009) -- Talk about revisionist history in the best sense of the phrase. In his latest film, Quentin Tarantino takes one of humanity's darkest eras and turns it upside down with every sequence, every character and every line. The filmmaker draws a uniquely entertaining piece of cinema out of the World War II backdrop, using his trademark quirky humor, incomparable storytelling skills and vast imagination.

The film starts off in 1941 France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) escapes the massacre of her entire family, orchestrated by SS Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Three years later, we are introduced to a group of ragtag Jewish-American soldiers, led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), with a sole mission of killing as many Nazis as they can find. Through a bloody set of circumstances, the so-called Basterds become acquainted with German starlet and Allies' spy, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), and begin planning an attack that will take place at the Paris premiere of a Nazi propaganda film. At the same time, the cinema proprietor -- Shosanna herself, now living under the assumed identity of Emmanuelle Mimieux -- is planning her own revenge against the unwanted guests...

The screenplay is one of the boldest and most original scripts Tarantino has ever written; I would venture to say that it might be his best since Pulp Fiction, in terms of spirited, absurdist characterizations and satire-tinged banter. The value of the writing lies not only in its clever World War II re-imagining, but also in its successful determination to occasionally blur the fine line between the theatrically farcical and the solemnly shocking. A cerebral piece of work that always manages to exhibit its dark playfulness, it is the best screenplay of 2009.

The cast is excellent. Pitt has an eternal twinkle in his eye as Raine, a veritable good ol' boy that has become a kind of wartime Robin Hood; Laurent is capable of speaking volumes through her gazes as the steely, survivalist soul that is Shosanna Dreyfus; and Kruger's von Hammersmark is a rather exploitable beauty on a mission. The supporting cast that includes Til Schweiger, Eli Roth and Michael Fassbender also shines. However, it is Christoph Waltz that steals the show as multilingual, multilayered, charming-yet-sadistic Hans Landa. Simply put, one cannot take their eyes off Waltz during Landa's interactions with other characters; his first scene alone is one of the most ingeniously effective scenes in any film. The actor is able to shift from manic to witty to cruel in mere seconds, infusing the brutally efficient officer with charismatic intelligence. Waltz brings an unparalleled depth to one of the most memorable screen villains of the last few decades, making his performance outstanding.

Inglourious Basterds is different from any film you have seen in 2009. Neither funny nor sad, neither serious nor facetious, it just so happens to be all of the above, and magnificently so. It enjoys warping expectations, smashing them to bits and taking us on a ride through the remains. It inhabits a different cinematic world, one that lies beyond the opposing realms of fantasy and facts, and one that is found on the corner of illusion and creativity.

10/10