"Inglourious Basterds" is a bingo!

Rating: 10/10 (4 August 2010)

Tarantino will be the first to tell you that he knows how to make a good film, but his ego hasn't let him forget what makes movies good. He shows just enough restraint to keep the film from getting weighed down by its own stylishness. It's a film that's both different from anything else Tarantino has made to date, but it's a film that could only be made by Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds will be looked upon as a dazzling film for years to come, and I know I'll be showing it to my kids (when they're old enough, of course).
Christoph Waltz is known as the film's shining star, and deservedly so, as his performance as Hans Landa is evil, frightening and somehow charming and endearing. But Brad Pitt's performance as Aldo Raine is hilarious and memorable, and it's exactly what it needs to be for the film to work on the level that it does. His Southern twang is great, and his Italian is even better.
The final scene is absolute cinema magic. There's something about the music that plays when Marcel is standing in front of the pile of films that really brings the tension to a fever pitch. And the final scene- I just couldn't help but feel that big rush of excitement, and that excitement stayed after the second viewing. Shoshanna's face projected on the smoke is simply a stroke of genius.
With Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino has cemented his reputation as one of the finest filmmakers of his generation. Pulp Fiction was only Tarantino's first masterpiece. I can't wait to see what he does next.