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Quentin Tarantino made his directorial debut in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs, but it was 1994’s Pulp Fiction, with its snappy dialogue and brutally dark humor, that made him a household name. Ever since then, Tarantino has inspired a cult following, and by all counts, he has consistently delivered; of the six feature-length films to his credit, only 2007’s Death Proof (61%) has failed to earn Certified Fresh status. This week, Tarantino fans have a new treat to look foward to: Inglourious Basterds, the director’s much anticipated seventh film, about a team of Jewish-American WWII soldiers on a Nazi-hunting mission.
The film received some early reviews from Cannes when it screened there in May of this year, and after some minor changes, it was screened again more recently. Quite a few critics have chimed in on it already, and so far, the buzz has been that it’s a winner. If things continue to stay positive, we could be looking at a return to Certified Fresh status for Tarantino’s filmography. Here’s a look at how his past films have done on the Tomatometer:
Reservoir Dogs (1992), 95%
Pulp Fiction (1994), 96%
Jackie Brown (1997), 85%
Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (2003), 85%
Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (2004), 85%
Death Proof (2007), 61%
What are the critics saying right now about Inglourious Basterds? Check back often for updates on its Tomatometer score, and read on for a glimpse at the reviews collected thus far:
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Some noted the abundance of dialogue in place of wall-to-wall action:
“It’s certainly very talky, and there’s no doubt that Tarantino is in love with the sound of his characters’ voices, but QT dialogue is so much better than most other screenwriters that it’s hard to quibble.” — Chris Hewitt, Empire Magazine
“Not enough scalps. While it’s good and there are fun elements it’s rather dialogue led than jam-packed with action.” — Baz Bamigboye, Daily Mail
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Some enjoyed its revisionist history:
“In an age when everyone rushes to remake old movies and old TV shows and comic books and toys and whatever, Quentin [Tarantino] decided to remake World War II. And this time? It ends right.” — Drew McWeeny, HitFix
“Call it Pulp War Fiction–likely to divide critics, Tarantino’s WWII fable interweaves little fact with much fiction, serving as a vessel for his playful, self-reflexive, postmodern commentary on a genre he knows and admires.” — Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.com
“Tarantino seems to be scrutinizing his obsession with the cinema by cleverly placing it into an apt historical context.” — Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
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Some mentioned the graphic violence and dark themes:
“A bold, gory and glorious cinematic fest liberally doused with humour, satire and entertainment value.” — Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile
“Rarely have I ever been as satisfied with a film as I was with this one…[but] you should know what you’re going to see… Heads are bashed in with baseball bats and people are brutally murdered. If that’s not your thing…” — Jenna Busch, Huffington Post
“Basterds isn’t a deep film — honestly, what Tarantino flick is? — but it has moments as sharp as a bayonet and as perverse as war itself.” — Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly
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Some loved it…
“Hysterically fun and gloriously excessive, Quentin Tarantino’s latest is right up there with Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.” – Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal
“By turns surprising, nutty, windy, audacious and a bit caught up in its own cleverness, the picture is a completely distinctive piece of American pop art with a strong Euro flavor that’s new for the director.” — Todd McCarthy, Variety
“A glourious rude mix ‘n match of subtitles, Nazi scalps, guerrilla cinema and testicle blood-soaked subterranean French cellar saloon shootouts, the film is a vintage QT Western European western. In other words, Tarantino’s WWII heartfelt warsploit rocks.” — Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
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And some didn’t…
“Inglourious Basterds is not boring, but it’s ridiculous and appallingly insensitive-a Louisville Slugger applied to the head of anyone who has ever taken the Nazis, the war, or the Resistance seriously.” — David Denby, The New Yorker
“There are some nice-ish performances but everything is just so boring. He should perhaps go back to making cheerfully inventive outrageous films like Kill Bill. Because Kill Adolf hasn’t worked out.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian [UK]
Read more early reviews of Inglourious Basterds, which opens in wide release this week on Friday, August 21st. Also, be sure to check out our interview with director Quentin Tarantino, in which he talks about the film, war movie cliches, and what it was like to work with Brad Pitt.
