Not as bad as expected

Rating: 6/10 (7 September 2009)

This was a really well made film, but the story was just pure nonsense and probably disrespectful to some soldiers who died for their country during WW II. I am not happy to see brutal treatment of defenceless soldiers passed off as entertainment.
A band of trained Jewish American killers go on the rampage near the end of the war, brutally torturing prisoners of war. Some of the scenes were disgusting. Their objective is to take out Hitler and his acolytes, and so end the war.
It is a long film beautifully shot in northern France. Some of the performances are superb, and to be fair not all the Nazis are cardboard cutout baddies. Daniel Bruhl plays a German war hero who has romantic desires on a Jewish woman played by Melanie Laurent, who is also being hunted down by an SS officer played by Christopher Waltz. This drama brought little bit of sanity amidst the mindless violence, and those three actors were outstanding in this film.
Just as I was enjoying the film, the ending descended into B movie madness. On the whole it was an enjoyable film, but obviously (as is always the case with Tarantino) there is far too much graphic violence. I did expect a much worse film after seeing some reviews, but I think Tarantino managed to pull off a quite a controversial film in the end.