Inglourious Basterds : Movie Review


Quentin Tarantino thinks big, and he's got balls. If that were enough to make a masterpiece, "Inglourious Basterds" would surely be one. But "Inglourious Basterds," in addition to having already stirred controversy for its Jews vs. Nazis conceit, is unwieldy, long-winded, self-indulgently nutso and, in places, very, very boring. It also caps off its two-and-a-half-hour run time with an extended finale – partially orchestrated to David Bowie's "Cat People" theme song, no less – that I could watch again and again with pleasure. In other words, Tarantino has taken a huge leap and made a movie that doesn't fully work, which presents those of us who love his work, hate his work or love-hate his work – which should cover just about everybody – with a confounding question: Do we praise the leap, or shake our fists at the result?

See www.salon.com for full review

Author : Stephanie Zacharek