Rapid Review: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

“You probably heard we ain’t in the prisoner-takin’ business; we in the killin’ Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin’.” – Lieutenant Aldo Raine

SYNOPSIS: In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner’s vengeful plans for the same. – via IMDB

I re-reviewed this because I love it so much, and have learned that I am allowed to give certain things top marks. Inglourious Basterds is simply amazing. Tarantino consistently blows me away with his stories and the execution of them. The cast was excellent, and their roles were very well suited. Christoph Waltz does not cease to stun me, he is so brilliant. He was such a horrendously scary character in this movie, and he gave me the chills because he is pure evil, yet he has proven in Django Unchained that he will not be typecast. Brad Pitt was having an absolute blast from the get go, and it is so obvious. Mélanie Laurent is so badass, and her character of Shosanna Dreyfus? Man, Tarantino can create a strong woman, and we definitely need more of that in cinema. Okay, I am not going to wax lyrical about each and every actor/actress in the film, just know that they were all excellent. What makes Inglourious Basterds so fantastic for me is that they actually spoke French and German, and when they spoke English the relevant accent applied to it. Valkyie could have taken a leaf out of Quentin Tarantino’s book, hem hem. It is pretty damned important to me that if you are doing a movie on any culture/society, you have to at least get the accents right (or try, at the very least)! The story was highly entertaining, and the cinematography was gorgeous. The dialogue was quick, snappy and sharp, and just great to listen to overall (bawnjorno, bestie). Some of those conversations! Goodness, the tension that was built from that! Not to mention how wonderfully the movie was set out and paced, giving you a look at everything, but not rushing a thing. Inglourious Basterds is a long film, but it never actually feels that way, although I feel that is a typical Tarantino trait, to write something that is engaging from the off. I am a big fan of Hugo Stiglitz, he made me laugh endlessly – he was so badass and hardcore and just balls to the wall crazy. Definitely my favourite Basterd, alongside Aldo. The humour is so snappy in here, and very dark, so it just works all round. I wish I knew how to describe how much I enjoy this movie, but words fail me, so I will stop rambling now. This movie is so well executed, and something that I make a point of watching rather frequently, it really is an absolute favourite of mine from Tarantino, who again proves his ingenuity with a fantastical take on an old topic.