Tag: inglorious basterds

The Tarantino Influences: Man Hunt

Man Hunt is a 1941 movie directed by Fritz Lang. Its story, setting and hints of revisionist history could have inspired Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.

Man Hunt tells the story of Alan Thorndike, a British big game hunter and adventurist. Thorndike is vacationing in Bavaria when he stumbles upon Adolf Hitler. Thorndike has Hitler in his sights, but doesn’t shoot. He’s then captured by the Nazis. After escaping back to Britain, Thorndike has his identity stolen and is pursued by Gestapo forces.

There are some interesting parallels between Man Hunt and Inglorious Basterds. While the movie isn’t a direct influence on Tarantino’s work, Man Hunt attempts to place a fictional character into the historical space of World War II. Thorndike is swept up into a web of spies – similar to Basterds’ Archie Hickox – as he is pursued by Nazi agent Quive-Smith. The Nazis want Thorndike to sign a confession admitting that he tried to kill Hitler – as this action would draw Britain into the war and validate Germany’s invasion of Europe.

Walter Pidgeon plays Thorndike and is well-suited for the role. He’s a striking 1940’s leading man and possesses a kind of necessary gentle charm. In explaining his actions to Quive-Smith, Thorndike admits to tracking Hitler – but states that it would be cruelty to kill what was such an easy target. There’s little malice in Thorndike’s character – he’s likely a bored adventurer arising from a wealthy and connected background.

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The Tarantino Influences: Branded to Kill

Branded to Kill is a 1967 movie directed by Seijun Suzuki. It’s style, non-traditional structure and quirky characters could have served as inspirations for Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds.

I’ll start this review with a disclaimer: I try to enter these movies blind. I don’t do any research prior to viewing nor do I read any criticism. This is a learning process for me and I don’t others’ views clouding my own opinions.

Having said that, I know I’m missing something with this movie.

On one hand, Branded to Kill is a weird, visual fun house that is both hilarious and hopelessly dark. On the other hand, it’s an elaborate mess featuring a cast of sincerely unlikable characters. It’s a fascinating blend of styles and bending of genres. Branded to Kill is an art house, existential Yakuza movie that forces you to do some heavy lifting. There’s a lot to invest in here, yet the payoff is lacking.

Branded to Kill tells a fairly simple story. Hanada, a hit man, fails to complete an assignment, which leads to him falling out of favor with his organization. He is then tracked by another hit man, which leads to a final showdown. Along the way, the story’s main character is involved in tortuous relationships with two different women.

Hanada is the #3 hit man in what appears to be a Yakuza organization. Early in the movie, he is defined as “a pro”, which stands in contrast to another associate, who is a bumbling, erratic drunk. The contrast is striking and interesting later in the movie, when Hanada begins to portray a similar character. At times, Hanada is fascinating and endearing. Initially, he exhibits an almost unreachable level of cool – he flaunts post-modern 1960’s style and a puffy faced look of nonchalance. Hanada is quirky too. In a running gag, he wants to surround himself with the aroma of rice, which serves as an aphrodisiac of sorts.

However, the luster of Hanada’s appeal is quickly lost after seeing his interactions with his wife, Mami. The relationship is mostly physical and features a lot of brute force. Hanada is aroused by the smell of boiling rice, then violently slaps Mami – which in turn gets her aroused. They have endless sex by continuing this loop. There’s no real communication between the two outside of sexual aggression. Later in the movie, Mami comments that “beast needs beast” before shooting Hanada. Yet even as he staggers around bleeding, it’s virtually impossible to sympathize with Hanada. He is an extraordinarily unlikable character.

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The Quentin Tarantino Movie Rankings

Quentin Tarantino movies have now been a part of my life for 25 years. I recently decided to take the time to rewatch and rank all nine of his movies – mainly because I wanted to see if tastes have changed and really, because why not? I’m far from a movie critic and I’m not concerned about film theory or anything like that. These are my personal rankings.

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Without Pulp Fiction, I would have never known that movies existed. Of course, I was aware of movies and sometimes went to the movies. However, movies were a passing interest – something easily detachable. Pulp Fiction changed that. I had no idea that something could be so cool, original, fun, violent, hilarious – let alone a movie.

What I later learned was that Pulp Fiction was an entry to everything that made it cool, original, fun, violent and hilarious – all the little movie, TV and pop culture references that shaped Tarantino’s vision. Because of this one movie, I discovered hundreds more and all the wormholes attached – great directors, cool actors – all the influences both great and awful. I learned movie history from Anthony Cocca 49 cent general rentals and in each one, there’s some path that leads you back to Pulp Fiction.

Naturally, I’ve followed Tarantino ever since. And naturally, the movies have changed. Tarantino is still innovative, writes killer dialogue, creates visually stunning environments and is remarkably – still cool. I’ve loved all of his movies but I would always go back to Pulp Fiction as his best work. Or at least my favorite.

Maybe nostalgia informs this ranking – there’s a comfort in the characters, the soundtrack, the moments – being in the Warren Twin Cinema and for the first time experiencing a Royale with Cheese, personality going a long way or “I shot Marvin in the face!”

But then again, maybe there’s more to nostalgia.

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