Violent World War II comedy fantasy

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2009)

Looking through many of the reviews here, it seems that people either love or hate this film. There seems to be an even split.
The film has some disturbing violent scenes, and it seems to be this that many object to. But don't we see violence in a lot of other films and think it's OK? We are fed this type of violence every day, in computer games, TV series and routine action adventure films such as the Die Hard films, and Arnold Schwarznigger films and so on. It's not often we hear people calling for those films to be banned. The violence in those films is acceptable to most audiences. Inglorious Bastards also has violence, but many think it's unacceptable. Why is one type of violence acceptable, and the other not? The same thing is happening in both films...people are dying violent deaths.
I think many react negatively to Tarrantino violence partly because of its graphic portrayal, but mainly because the way Tarrantino involves the audience with the dying or about-to-die characters. We don't want them to die, we think it's wrong, even if they are the supposedly bad guys, they somehow don't deserve it. And yet they die, and we see how they die. Whereas in your typical Hollywood action film the bad guys are demonized and stereotyped, and we want them dead. Personally, I think watching Tarrantino's kind of violence is healthier than watching the Hollywood action type of violence, because this makes you think, and shudder. It's not mindless.
Despite its dark, heavy moments, Inglorious Basterds is, above all, a comedy with some really funny characters a great dialogue. There are some extremely funny scenes in this film. Humour is often funniest when it deals with taboo subjects, and a comedy about Nazis, the jews and violence, if not taboo, is certainly not politically correct.
I think it's important not to be politically correct with good film making. After all, Nazi propaganda movies were politically correct...