Tarantino's Best Since PULP FICTION

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2009)

I never would've thought Quentin Tarantino could successfully apply his style of story-telling to historical fiction set in World War II, and I'll never doubt him again. This movie went above and beyond any expectations I had going in, and it's Tarantino's best film since 1994's PULP FICTION. I've read multiple mentions through the years that Tarantino would be creating his WWII epic but after a while, I figured it was just rumors. I'm glad to find I was mistaken. In the film, a series of plots to assassinate Adolph Hitler and the key members of the Third Reich are put into play by a French/Jewish cinema owner (Mélanie Laurent) and a Jewish-American strike force known as the Basterds, led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt).
Simply put: if you're a fan of Tarantino's previous films, then you will most likely love his newest. It's got everything we've come to expect: sharp dialogue, a great story with engaging characters, and the usual visual flair with a killer soundtrack to back it up (this time borrowing heavily from those films providing the writer/director with his inspiration. Just as he's done in the past (as with PULP FICTION and KILL BILL), the film is divided into chapters and culminates in a final chapter when the all of the plans come together into an explosive conclusion.
In an ensemble cast, it's rare that any one actor or actress should stand out so far above the rest but, while the entirety of the cast did an incredible job, it was Christoph Waltz who stole my attention in every one of his scenes. A German actor, unknown to American audiences, Waltz's performance as Colonel Hans Landa (or, as his enemies know him, the Jew Hunter) was amazing. He was charming, charismatic, well-mannered, and evil...a villain reminiscent of Hannibal Lector and just as memorable. All of the award nominations he's received for his performance here are well-deserved. I've also got to give credit to Pitt for a great performance as Raine, adopting a heavy Southern drawl and roughing himself up to the point where I lose him in his performance and forget for a while that I'm watching Brad Pitt.
To be honest, each of the cast did a fantastic job, with only one of them grating on my nerves a bit. Eli Roth did a fine job as Sergeant Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz but he was annoyingly over-the-top at points. Still, it's never enough to ruin a scene and you won't be pulled out of the movie. I absolutely loved this movie and I hope most others will give it a chance before passing judgment. I realize the 2.5 hour runtime will be a discouraging factor to some but I can reassure you there isn't a single moment in the movie where the pace slows. If you're anything like me, the end credits will start rolling and you'll actually wish there was more.