What's Dan Watching - Inglourious Basterds

What is it about bad boys?

I always loathed the evil villain, and cheered on the hero as he conquered in the name of truth, justice, and the something or other way. The scoundrel always scared me and I liked nothing better than seeing him/her put out of action. I still remember sitting in a darkened cinema with my Father cowering in fear at the mere sight of Darth Vader doing what he did best.

But strangely, my attitude has changed and I am now such a fan of the reprobate's of film it's almost worrying. Is there something in my subconscious that wishes I were like them? To ooze confidence and snub one's nose at societies rules and regulations. To wallow in luxuriating power, as the little people fulfill your every desire. To be stunningly intelligent so as to never have anyone get the better of you, and use this intelligence for the betterment of your own selfish fancies. People who know me usually say I'm a pretty decent person, and frankly I feel practically incapable of wrong-doings. But sometimes, just sometimes, I feel I'd like my dark side to have a little exercise. Don't panic, my moral compass is always in control ;)

I speak of such things, because a soon to be favourite (if he isn't already) vagabond has appeared on my screen. Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" received a viewing and has comfortably placed itself in my collection of QT classics. But, the highlight must be the performance of Christoph Waltz playing the part of the dreaded SS Colonel Hans Landa. With the nickname "The Jew Hunter" his role is to unsurprisingly locate hiding Jews in nazi occupied France during WWII. The character is intensely intelligent, ruthless and morally reprehensible. The performance by Waltz in the role is quite extraordinary, something about the pronounced jawline, the searing eyes, and the uncomfortable efficiency of his interactions with the other characters clearly marks him out to be a man to be feared. To say I was a little mesmerized is an understatement. I hated him, but I also found him infinitely interesting.

The movie as a whole is typical Tarantino. The violence is ridiculously and wonderfully over the top, the black humour is in abundance, the dialogue unrushed and intense. Once again there are multiple interesting stories occurring throughout the film that all intersect, a tough thing to do well, but here done successfully. The ending may not be everyone's cup of tea, but Tarantino films have never ended sensibly and never suffered for it.

Basically, if you didn't like any of QT's previous films you won't like this one. But it's worth seeing if only for the performance of Christoph Waltz. He has a new fan.