All right . . . Inglourious Basterds
It's takes everything about Tarantino's style to the next level of sophistication. The fragmented use of time, the tragic femme fatale, the hypnotic dialogue, and the pop culture references are all used in a way that serves the fantasy world he's created. The mistake people make about Tarantino is not realizing that EVERY movie he's ever made is a fantasy. They all have that fairy tale quality to them. Here that has been finessed to a historical fiction that's so magical, you wish it actually happened that way.
I thought Kill Bill was a cartoon of the "Tarantino style." And Death Proof was just a misfire. (Though I feel like I should watch it again now that I truly realize what it was, a homage to the Ms. 45/Switchblade Sisters type of exploitation. The mistake was pairing it with the horror/sci-fi/action cartoon of Planet Terror.)
Here, he went in the opposite direction of the cartoon, a sort of pulp realism that even when it drifts into over-the-top exploitation (the Basterds themselves) retains a gripping sense of dignity and gravitas.
Man, I fucking loved it.
