"Inglorious Basterds" Film Review - This is the very first film review I have ever written. ;)

"Inglorious Basterds"

Production year: 2009

Country: USA, Germany

Runtime: 154 mins

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Christoph Waltz,Mélanie Laurent, Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger

Bloody, nasty and absolutely ludicrous. These words might best describe cult director Quentin Tarantino's latest spectacle of deranged entertainment. Reinventing the end of Nazi Germany, "Inglorious Basterds" (misspelling intended) is a bloody massacre of a film, and a hell lot of fun. 

As usual the plot follows multiple storylines and is divided into several chapters. Set in Nazi occupied France during WWII, the bullet-ridden ride begins with young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) barely escaping the slaughter of her family at the hands of Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) aka "The Jew Hunter". A few years later she is running a movie theater and is stalked by Nazi war hero Frederick Zoller (Daniel Brühl). In an attempt to win her affection, Zoller convinces propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) to hold the premier of Goebbels' latest propaganda film in Shosanna's movie theater. All top nobs will be present on this illustrious evening, including Hitler (Martin Wuttke) himself. This in turn brings Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and his 1st Special Service Force of eight Jewish-American soldiers, also called "The Basterds", to the scene. As "The Basterds" arrive in France and prepare the assassination of Hitler and his lot, Shosanna plans her own 'little' revenge. The rest of the plot unfolds along the lines of Lieutenant Aldo Raine's order: "We're gonna be doin' one thing and one thing only...killin' Nazis."

The universe in which this mass slaughter unfolds is populated by the usual tough Tarantino cookies who spout out one cool line after the other. The French actress Mélanie Laurent stands out in particular with her compelling portrayal of the frightened but seriously pissed off avenging angel Shosanna Dreyfus aka, Emmanuelle Mimieux. Brad Pitt's hillbilly caricature Lieutenant Aldo Raine may not be as deep and impressive, but he certainly provokes laughter here and there. Still, all performances nearly pale into insignificance in comparison with Christoph Waltz's breakthrough performance as the charismatic, highly intelligent Nazi sadist, Colonel Hans Landa, who will go down in cinema history as one of the most vicious villains ever portrayed. The Austrian actor, who was up to now unknown in Hollywood, should have a great career ahead of him. As always, Tarantino tops the whole thing off with a supercool soundtrack. David Bowie's Cat People will send chills down your spine as you watch the ferocious climax building up slowly. This is not a movie for the faint-hearted. Everyone else should not miss this ingenious mess of a masterpiece.