Glorious, Pleasant Surprise

Rating: 9/10 (13 October 2009)

I'm ashamed to say it, but I did not have much desire to see this film. I decided to give it a shot after it was playing at the right time to coincide with some free time I had. That was one of the best decisions I've made lately regarding movie watching. It was probably the best movie I have seen this year.
In my opinion, Christoph Waltz steals the show as the "Jew Hunter". He speaks four different languages, and he displays a sort of sophisticated ruthlessness that few could duplicate. He is calm, cool and collected for most of the film, but you can tell he could explode at any moment (which he unexpectedly does in one surprising scene). The French actress, Melanie Laurent, gives a fine performance as the young owner of a cinema in Paris with the chance to change the course of World War II. I'd like to see more of her in the future. Brad Pitt is a bit over the top in his portrayal of Lt. Aldo Raine, but he is still entertaining to watch.
What made the movie so special to me was Tarrantino's ability to build tension and an uneasiness in certain scenes. Without spoiling anything, I will speak about this in general terms. In three or four scenes, you are aware that the bad guy and the good guy are both onto each other, but the tension comes from seeing who will break first or make the first move. The consequences will be great, so this just adds to the emotion and the suspense of the moment.
In short, if you had any reservations about seeing this film, please put them aside, don't be too critical of historical inaccuracies, and just go and enjoy a very good movie.