Inglorious Basterds – Film Review

It is the first year of Germany’s occupation of France. Allied officer Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) assembles a team of Jewish soldiers to commit violent acts of retribution against the Nazis, including the taking of their scalps. He and his men join forces with Bridget von Hammersmark, a German actress and undercover agent, to bring down the leaders of the Third Reich. Their fates converge with theater owner Shosanna Dreyfus, who seeks to avenge the Nazis’ execution of her family.

To this day, there is no feature in Quentin Tarantino‘s filmography that’s as bold, riveting, daring, and outlandishly satisfying as Inglorious Basterds, a film that serves as a sort of black comedy war film that is never once afraid to get down and dirty when it needs to, but also isn’t afraid to have a moment or two where the audience can simply laugh, usually from a one-liner delivered by Brad Pitt’s Aldo Raine.

There’s also Hans Landa, portrayed by Christoph Waltz in what is easily the best performance of his entire career, who also has quite a few funny lines. But what’s great about his character is that, while he is eccentric and charismatic, the film ensures that you never forget just how much of a scumbag he is. After all, in the first scene of the film, he isn’t shy about saying just how proud he is that he has gotten a new nickname – “The Jew Hunter.”

Waltz’ performance earned him several awards at various different ceremonies, and it’s not hard to see why. He is legitimately terrifying. There’s one scene in the second act in which he is simply having a meal with somebody and yet, even still, you get the feeling that if this other person says even just one word wrong to him, he will completely snap and kill everybody that even dares cross his path. This is what true villainy looks like. Tarantino couldn’t have picked a better actor for this character.

Of course, with any Tarantino movie, you can expect there to be plenty of swearing, and yes, violence and chaos. However, Inglorious Basterds easily saves the most insane scene for the very end, which is one of the most satisfying in history. The film is so engrossing but also exhausting. You eventually hate to see how this world looks with the Nazi characters populating it, and you just want Tarantino to come in and do something crazy. You want these Nazis to get the Tarantino violence treatment. Long story short… he does. Let’s just leave it at that.

The film also looks astounding, shot by director of photography Robert Richardson, who previously shot both Kill Bill films. Inglorious Basterds is easily one of the best looking films Tarantino has ever made, which is why it’s shocking to me that it didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, ultimately losing to James Cameron‘s Avatar which is a stunning film to be sure, but at the same time, it’s a Tarantino movie we’re talking about here.

This is the kind of film that you will want to watch over and over again just to get inspired. Is it an easy film to watch with its subject matter and all? Absolutely not. But Tarantino’s script is so sharp and electric that you’ll constantly find yourself analyzing each and every scene, trying to piece together how one man was able to come up with such brilliance. It’s two-and-a-half hours long, but you’ll never feel boredom when watching this masterpiece.