World War II In an Alternate Universe

Rating: 8/10 (8 September 2009)

I take exception to the comment that one reviewer made saying that a film like Inglourious Basterds had not been made before. Not only was one made, but it was made during World War II. When Hitler, Dead Or Alive was shown I'm sure the same rousing cheers went up from the audience who really wanted World War II to end that way.
Quentin Tarantino must have seen Hitler, Dead Or Alive and decided to do a big budget version of that B film propaganda flick from the Forties. In that one Ward Bond, Paul Fix,and Warren Hymer play three German speaking gangsters who take a contract out on Adolph Hitler from some public spirited citizen. They enlist in the army, but as soon as they can they desert grab a plane with a pilot and land in Germany and set about to perform their task.
What Tarantino has given us is Hitler, Dead Or Alive with official sanction. Brad Pitt heads a group of GIs, the rest of them are Jewish so they'll have proper motivation for this job, Pitt's a good old boy from Tennessee. The purpose of their mission is to just kill Nazis, the higher up, the better. And they soon get a reputation that's come to the attention of the Fuehrer himself.
This film is a throwback to those propaganda films that came out as morale boosters during World War II. Pitt and the rest of the cast look like they're having a great old time with this. Best performance is Christoph Waltz who plays an SS colonel who specialized in tracking down Jews who've escaped Hitler's final solution. He might just get an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
As for the end, just relax and imagine this is World War II in an alternate Universe.