"You don't got to be Stonewall Jackson to know that this movie really is something!"

Rating: Null/10 (7 January 2010)

It really brings me down when people keep saying how Inglourious Basterds is clearly inferior to Pulp Fiction. Comparing two movies that are as different as these two can be from each other is ridiculous; yes, Tarantino redefined cinema with PF, but if you were expecting another one, all I have to say is that you're an idiot. Why would Quentin want to waste his time making another Pulp Fiction when he could make something new, fresh, daring and just as enjoyable? Que the Basterds.
Inglourious Basterds is a classic love-it-or-hate-it movie; people who hate it REALLY hate it, and people who like it REALLY like it. I find that people who end up hating it are setting their standards way too high. Come on, you're watching a movie where Nazis get scalped and beaten with baseball bats, directed by Quentin Tarantino; were you really expecting something that Siskel and Ebert would praise?
Inglourious Basterds has that classic Tarantino touch that his fans have come to love; scenes filled with clever dialogue and little to no action, different plots that are woven together beautifully, a colorful set of kickass characters, and even the infamous trunk-shot. Telling the story of a group of Jewish-American soldiers who embark on a brutal revenge mission against the Nazis, and a young Jewish girl who is forced to live in occupied France disguised as a French cinema owner, Inglourious Basterds is not for the faint of heart. People who complain that the movie is too gory; have you never seen a Tarantino film before? Even if you haven't, just looking at the film poster should've given you an obvious heads-up that this wasn't going to be the next 'Love Actually'!
As with all Tarantino's films, the characters make the story; how they're brought to life on screen, how they interact with other characters, and how they're portrayed through the directors eyes. German actor Christoph Waltz plays Nazi Colonel Hans Landa in his first American movie role. Landa comes off as charming, polite, and cultured, which makes him a very effective villain. On one hand, you want him to die and suffer for being a member of the Nazi party, but you also want to have a conversation with him by the fireplace with a cup of cocoa. Tarantino, as always, does an excellent job giving his villains human traits, making them all the more terrifying. I give Christoph Waltz very much praise; no one else could've played Landa like he did.
Another newcomer to American film is French Mélanie Laurent, playing Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish woman living in occupied France under the alias Emmanuelle Mimieux. Tarantino took a big risk in casting Laurent, as this was the first time the actress would be speaking English in a role, and it was a gamble worth playing. Laurent does a great job, especially when she shares the screen with Christoph Waltz and/or Daniel Brühl, who plays Fredrick Zoller, a German soldier who is infatuated with Shosanna/Emmanuelle.
Now for the boys on the title, the Basterds themselves. Aldo the Apache, the leader of the fearless team of Nazi-hunting Jews, is played by the always fearless Brad Pitt. Many complain that this role was miscast, but I have to disagree. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Brad Pitt draaaaaaawwwwwl that Southern accent and delivering some of the simplest, yet greatest lines in modern cinema. He's just a great actor who gives his all in every role, and Aldo the Apache is no different. Eli Roth, a well known director in the gore circles, plays Donny Donowitz, or if you prefer his nickname, the Bear Jew, a Boston Jew with a love of beating Nazis with baseball bats. Also included in the mix are Gedeon Burkhard as the teams Austrian-Jewish interpreter (who doesn't get enough screen time if you ask me), and Til Schweiger (a personal favorite of mine) as the German Hugo Stiglitz who joins the Basterds after turning against his fellow Gestapo officers. The rest of the Basterds are played by relatively unknown actors, but they do their part with no less heart than he bigger names on the list.
As probably everyone who reviewed this movie, I also feel the need to bring up the use of language in this movie. Over half of this film is in a language other than English, which as a lover of all languages I found beautiful. It adds a richness to the style and story that not many directors would have the guts to try. It really is music to my ears to hear so much language in one single movie; most movies have a maximum of two, this one has four: German, French, English, and Italian. If you can't appreciate this move and refuse to watch movies that include subtitles, all I can say is that it's your loss. I must also bring up what every hater seems to be whining about: the successful assassination of "ol' uncle Adolf", to quote Aldo. I was able to overlook this obviously made up fact because I was completely immersed in the reality that the movie had created for me. That's what movies are for! Like everyone in the theatre, I cheered when it happened. Quentin took a big risk at creating such a climax for his movie, and I think he pulled it off like no one else could've. Mr. Tarantino, you have brass balls and I respect you for it.
My final verdict reads: go see this movie. If you love movies, go see this movie. If you love Tarantino, go see this movie. If you don't mind reading subtitles or training your ears in other languages for a change, go see this movie. If you like badass characters kicking ass, go see this movie. If you hate Nazis, go see this movie. If you like gore, go see this movie. Go see it even if you know you'll just nitpick it to death later.