Inglourious Basterds

The self proclaimed ‘Saviour of Modern Cinema’ is back with more gore and black comedy to last someone a lifetime, but this time he’s gone and involved the Nazi’s.

‘I Think This Just Might Be My Masterpiece’ proclaims Brad Pitt’s character during the films closing scene after just slicing a swastika into the head of an SS commander. Only Quentin Tarantino can put a line like this at the end of his film and get away with it. As regards to ‘Inglourious Basterds’ being Tarantino’s masterpiece? Maybe. Although many believe he will never top the works of ‘Pulp fiction’ and ‘Reservoir dogs’ then this surely deserves a bronze medal (this coming from a huge fan of Kill Bill).

The film follows a group of Jewish soldiers from all over the world as they try and kill as many Nazis as they possibly can. No logic or reasoning just do to the Germans as they have done to us sort of mantra. We also follow Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) as she tries to get revenge for the death of her family at the hands of the Nazi’s. Both groups then lead to a plot to kill some of the highest German leaders whilst they are at a film premiere. Both groups are unaware of each other but ultimately meet up in the end.

First of all, this film has some remarkable scenes that stand out for me. The first scene of the film shows the interrogation of a French man and his family as to whether or not they are hiding a Jewish family which leads to them admitting they are. The entire scene is incredibly tense and terrifically performed by the actors throughout. We feel the pain of the man as he slowly realises the German knows he is lying to him. Also, the interrogator in the scene is Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) who is exceptional in this film and is by far the best actor in the entire movie. He has already collected the best actor award at Cannes and will surely get at least a nomination or two when the Oscar and BAFTA awards comes around. He is creepy and yet darkly funny throughout the entire film and plays the role to perfection. Brad Pitt is also a delight as Aldo Raine the funny yet dangerous American leader of the Basterds. The scene where he pretends to be Italian is genius.

Another scene worth mentioning is the final scene. I don’t want to give away what happens but the mise-en-scene and photography used is remarkable. The imagery what is portrayed in the cinema whilst being engulfed in flames is truly legendary filmmaking.

As you can tell by now I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I thought the acting was brilliant, storyline was ridiculous but great (what do you expect from a Tarantino flick) and the film itself was a tremendously enjoyable experience. Usually after you finish watching most films you say to you friends ‘Yeah it was good, but I wish they left that bit out’ or ‘They really didn’t need that scene’ whereas after I watched Inglourious Basterds I found myself saying ‘Wow, every part of that film was great, I wouldn’t change one thing about it, god I wish there was more’ which I think is the best way I can sum up this film to you.

Rating – 9.0/10

Final Thoughts – Just when you thought Tarantino had gone stale he comes back with the war epic he has promised us for years, and boy was it worth the wait.