unofficial REVIEW complete analysis

Rating: 9/10 (28 January 2010)

In 1944 Nazi-occupied France, the story of young Jewish woman Shosanna (Laurent), whose family has been slaughtered by SS colonel Hans Landa (Waltz), crosses over the story of the "Basterds", a squad of American Jewish soldiers led by lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt) who are dispatched into France for a "killing Nazis" business.
It has to be said, the opening scene of Inglourious Basterds is one of the single greatest cinematic achievements of recent times. The evil Hans Landa interrogates a French farmer, and we witness him toying with his prey in a tense twenty minute segment. It is a masterclass in how to build up off-screen tension through the use of on-screen dialogue, and the culmination of everything Tarantino has ever brought to the screen. Not only is he such a great writer, he is also bold enough to rewrite the history of the Second World War in his own way and make the audience rejoice at the sight of Nazis being slaughtered. At the heart of Inglourious Basterds is some heavy violence and morally ambiguous humour, for Tarantino has twisted history and morality in the name of art and entertainment. On the basis of the latter, the movie is a full-on success. All who love it will be left wondering in the end how they can possibly have enjoyed a movie that plays on the violence and murders of World War II. Some will hate it because it's wrong and disturbing, but there is no denying Quentin Tarantino's talent for entertainment. If you can watch it as nothing else than a piece of artistic fiction, then you will laugh, you'll be thrilled and you will want to see it again as soon as it's over. Inglourious Basterds is reminiscent of Pulp Fiction in that the more you see it the more you are able to appreciate the quality of the writing and performances. It is also to the director's credit that despite constantly switching languages between English, French and German, the story unfolds smoothly and never loses its momentum.
The obvious highlight of the film is Christoph Waltz's performance as the delightfully evil Nazi colonel, this brilliant turn very likely to make him Oscar front runner in the best supporting actor category. Brad Pitt is also a great piece of casting, his hilarious accent making the character of Aldo Raine all the more enjoyable. Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender and Daniel Bruhl mainly make up what is surely one of the strongest ensemble casts of the year. Inglourious Basterds is accomplished film-making, mastered by Quentin Tarantino at his best and in total control. It might not oust Pulp Fiction from top spot in the QT registry, but it's certainly in the top two.
VERDICT:
In addition to being some of master Tarantino's most accomplished work to date, Inglourious Basterds is also blessed with a faultless ensemble cast and a blistering performance by Christoph Waltz. Overall, it's brilliant entertainment and a great technical achievement. It's certainly passed the moral line, but we love it. Why? That's probably the master's trick.