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Created Oct 16, 2009 10:41PM PST • Edited Oct 17, 2009 11:12PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   A high-concept WWII fantasy that is, in essence, a love letter to European cinema. While it does take it’s sweet-ass time getting to the point, Basterds has many avenues of potential, and accomplishes several of them. The script is among Tarantino’s better efforts, and gives the actors several chances to shine. But the film falls short in other areas, mostly because the director is in love with the writer, and has lost the ability to tell the writer “no”, or “too much”, or "enough already. The film is all too often weighed down by bloated dialogue that grows tiresome and indulgent which, for me, affected some areas of the performances. While this is certainly not a bad film, it isn’t the film I had hoped for from Tarantino. And not the one we deserve after being served that flaming piece of crap called “Death Proof”. Tarantino’s strength is also his weakness: his unwavering love of film. He is a cinematic dj with too many films to mix and scratch from. And like any dj, if you mix too many at once, the end result is big and noisy.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   Good performances, for the most part:

   • Brad Pitt does what Brad Pitt does; solid job, but not Oscar in his future for this one.

   • Diane Kruger and Melanie Laurant both do very well as a German double agent and a cinema owner with a guarded past, respectively.

   Eli Roth is terribly miscast as the “Bear Jew”. I honestly couldn’t wait for his scenes to be over so he would get the hell off the screen.

   The one character I thought wasn’t fully realized was Til Schweiger’s Hugo Stiglitz. A lot of trouble went into building up a character that, ultimately, doesn’t do much.

   But the real star is Christoph Waltz. His characterization of Jew hunter Hans Landa is almost perfect. Terrifically managed layers of humor, intimidation, charm, pathos, and terror make Landa a truly original character, and should garner a supporting actor Oscar for Waltz. It isn’t possible for him to have done any better with this role.

5. Male Stars Very Good 3.5

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Very Good 3.5

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    The look of the film is quite good, but the way it was shot grew to be frustrating to watch. This may be the most claustrophobic epic I’ve ever seen. Repeatedly tight close-ups, crane and camera moves that have no pay-off, static shots that go on too long. Again, it all felt a little too indulgent. But it’s not all Tarantino. DP Robert Richardson has been shooting features for a very long time. He should know better.

11. Direction Very Good 3.5

12. Play Very Good 3.5

13. Music Very Good 3.5

14. Visuals Very Good 3.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Horrid 4.1

    If you like close-ups of testicles being blown off, this is the movie for you.

17. Sex Lewd 4.1

18. Violence Savage 4.1

19. Rudeness Nasty 4.1

21. Reality

    Surreal 3.0

    The film is a fractured WWII fairy tale.

22. Circumstantial Surreal 3.0

23. Biological Surreal 3.0

24. Physical Surreal 3.0