Revenge is a common theme in Tarantino's Films.

Rating: Null/10 (15 December 2013)

Inglourious Basterds, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, tells the intertwining story of several different characters during World War II. The movie starts with the story of a German Nazi officer Hans Landa, played by Christoph Waltz, questioning a dairy farmer named Perrier LaPadite, played by Denis Ménochet, about whether or not LaPadite was hiding any Jews on his Property. Landa is an infamous officer known as the "Jew Hunter" because he is so effective at finding Jews. To keep his family safe LaPadite is force to tell Landa that he is hiding a Jewish family under his floorboards. Landa and his troops open fire on the floorboards, killing everyone underneath, expect for a teenage girl named Shosanna Dreyfus, played by Mélanie Laurent. This opening scene sets up the theme of the movie which is revenge. The following scene is another one to help build upon that theme. In the next scene Brad Pitt's Character Lieutenant Aldo Raine is briefing his troops on their mission to be dropped behind enemy lines and kill as many Nazis as possible. "And once we're in enemy territory, as a bushwhackin' guerrilla army, we're gonna be doin' one thing and one thing only... killin' Nazis." (Tarantino 2009) All Lt. Raine's Troops also happen to be Jewish-Americans. After this scene the movie goes to Adolf Hitler interview a Nazi Soldier who had a run-in with Lt. Raine and his Basterds and tells of how they carved a swastika into his head and beat another Nazi soldiers head in with a baseball bat. The next scene shows an older Shosanna, who now goes by the name of Emmanuelle Mimieux, working at a theater in Paris. While working she meets Fredrick Zoller, played by Daniel Brühl, who is a German war hero. Zoller is attracted to Shosanna and in an attempt to impress her, he convinces Joseph Goebbels to hold the showing of a Nazi Propaganda film about Zoller's actions during the war and also starring Zoller at her theater. When she learns of the plan to show the movie at her theater and who will be attending, she takes the opportunity to finally have her revenge against the men who killed her family. All of the characters stories finally intertwine at Shosanna's theater where all of the remaining characters are there for the preview of the Nazi propaganda film. Lt. Raine is there undercover with two of his troops as Bridgette Von Hammersmark's film crew. Hitler, Landa and several other Nazi officers are also in attendance. Shosanna runs into Zoller behind stage where he makes an advance and she denies him. Things get physical between the two and she ends up killing him but not before he fatally wounds her.
While the film is running a spliced clip airs showing Shosanna telling the crowd they are going to be killed by a Jew. While this is happening Shosanna's lover Marcel locks down the cinema and lights a pile of highly-flammable film on fire. At the same time two of Raine's troops burst into the cinema and open fire on the crowd. The next scene shows Landa taking driving Lt. Raine and one of his troops to the U.S. line where Landa Surrenders to Lt. Raine. Upset that Landa is going to get away with everything he has done Raine carves a swastika in his forehead so he will always be known as a Nazi. Revenge is a common theme in Tarantino's Films. Whether it be in Inglourious Bastards where Shosanna takes revenge on the men who killed her family or be it in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman's character is seeking revenge on the people who ruined her life and killed her baby. Tarantino was also able to effectively use the lighting and music in the movie to really help you feel what Shosanna was feeling in the end when she had her revenge on the men who killed her family. The theater goes dark and Shosanna comes on screen to tell the audience they are going to die by a Jew. From the music playing, the fire on the screen and the audience screaming you get the satisfaction that she finally gets her revenge