by osmosis

All great art has it. You may not be able to grab hold of it, but you know when it's there. Whether it be a cross-cut in a film, a touch of yellow in a painting or a hanging note in a song, all great art carries with it a hidden x-factor that won't allow itself to be pinned down. I generally end up calling this quality "heart," and I think that's a good enough name for it as any. Does the work have "heart?" Has it been created with and channelled by a drive, talent, desire and honesty that allows it to transcend its plot, subject or medium? All bad art is honest, so we definitely can't forget "talent" in that list of attributes.

Pulp Fiction is a film with an x-factor. It's better than the sum of it's parts. If all the parts got on a scale and weighed 170 pounds, the completed film would weigh 185. There's 15 pounds of x-factor to deal with in Pulp Fiction, and because of that it may forever be Quentin's finest creation.

Fast-forward fifteen years. While nothing in the Tarantino canon has touched Pulp Fiction, a handful of incredible, joyous, and virtuoso films now fills his catalogue - most notably his two part revenge epic Kill Bill. The exploits have been there since the beginning; however, Jackie Brown really started his shift into exploitation as the product. This went into hyper-overdrive with Kill Bill's bloody pastiche of Kung-Fu and Manga, and almost off the rails with the double feature Grindhouse.  Instead of playing with the conventions of genre and exploit in his films, Tarantino became determined to perfect the art form of exploitation itself.

Finally we come to Inglorious Basterds. The first thing I can tell you is that I had a smile on my face for the entire 153 minutes. Didn't think I'd ever laugh through a scalping, but there I was. Tarantino is committed to making the art form he loves a wondrous and magical experience. It's present in every line of dialogue, camera pan, reveal and bloodletting. In that regard Inglorious Basterds is a masterpiece. The question is, does it have that x-factor? I'm going to have to say no. His commitment to the genre leaves no room for anything else.  There's a heart there, but it's latched onto the genre, and I'm not sure where to place that. 

I loved Inglorious Basterds and all it's twists, turns and carnage.  I think it was a glorious return for the filmmaker, and I can't wait to take the ride again.  I do however hope that at some point he gets his x-factor back.