Much has been said about the rewriting of history in this over-the-top revenge fantasy, but this WWII "what if?" scenario means no disrespect to victims of the holocaust. It simply offers a Tarantinoesque spin on the war movie genre, and the result is an excellent film. Inglorious Basterds is a mix of history and fantasy that will leave viewers reeling.
Inglourious Basterds Plot
Inglorious Basterds takes place in Nazi-occupied France during WWII. There are a couple of threads running through the story, one involving a group known as the Inglorious Basterds, on a mission to gather as many Nazi scalps as possible. The other involves a young woman, who after suffering at the hands of the Nazis as a child, is given an opportunity to exact revenge on those who hurt her and her family. Being a Tarantino movie, expect a lot of dark humor, squirm-inducing violence, and long bouts of stylized dialogue.
Tarantino's Cast of Characters
If there's one thing Quentin Tarantino excels at, it's casting. Few performances in recent history can rival that of Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa, the "Jew Hunter". As a high-ranking Nazi officer he skirts the line between perfectly pleasant and terrifyingly threatening and is downright menacing. There's a very good reason why he's being considered one of the frontrunners for an Academy Award nomination.
The other standout is Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, a young victim ready for revenge. The grace and poise she brings to the role is exceptional. Her final scene is one that few filmgoers will soon forget. As the other lead actress in the film, Diane Kruger is also convincing in her role as Bridget Von Hammersmark, a German actress and undercover agent. It's refreshing to see a movie that has two such strong female roles (something Tarantino can frequently be counted on for).
The cast of secondary characters is also top-notch. Eli Roth, Daniel Bruhl, Michael Fassbender, and Til Schweiger all excel in their roles.
Inglourious Basterds DVD Extras
A lot of material was left on the cutting room floor and plenty of it has found it's way into the 2-disc set. Unlike most of Tarantino's original home video releases this one is packed with extras. Expect to find extended and alternate scenes, the full version of Nation's Pride (the movie within a movie), round table discussions with Tarantino, Pitt, and film historian Elvis Mitchell, a conversation with Rod Taylor, and much more. It will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Dec 15th, 2009.
Inglorious Basterds is explosive, energetic, and surprisingly fun. Tarantino fans will not be disappointed.
- Ingourious Basterds
- Directed by Quentin Tarantino
- Written by Quentin Tarantino
- Starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth
- Runtime: 153 minutes
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