This is a very strange, often hilarious, alternate scenario of the Second World War. Focusing on the events surrounding a few individuals who aim to bring down the Third Reich, it is directed by Quentin Tarantino of Pulp Fiction notoriety, so don’t be surprised if our protagonists are a little sadistic.
It stars Brad Pitt as Lieutenant Aldo Raine, who leads a team of Jewish-Americans, in occupied France launching hit and run missions, that have managed to make them all legendary with the Nazis as the Inglourious Basterds. Their antics have reached the ears of Hitler himself played by Martin Wuttke. He particularly wants to meet one hapless soldier who was let go as an example when his squad was unfortunate enough to encounter them.
We meet the main antagonist Colonel Hans Landa played superbly by Christopher Waltz (Goldeneye) as a Nazi detective nicknamed “the Jew hunter” for his ability to find stowaways.
He and his soldiers approach a farm run by Perrier LaPadite (played by Denis Menochet) and his three daughters, as typical with Quentin Tarantino films, the suspense builds up during the conversations, with a seemingly ordinary and pleasant conversation that after a short while makes the audience realise the stage is being set, and something ominous is about to happen; possibly to Perrier or his family.
During his conversation Perrier eventually gives in and reveals to Hans that there are Jews hidden under the basement, whereby he orders his men to shoot into the basement, however one of the girls hidden in the basement, Shosanna Dreyfus played by the lovely Melanie Laurent, escapes.
We meet her four years later, as she runs a cinema under an assumed name of course, where much to her frustration she is being chased romantically by a German officer Private Frederick Zoller played by Daniel Bruhl, who is instantly recognised wherever he goes for killing several hundred Allied soldiers as a sniper, the audience will no doubt feel a little sorry for the romantic soldier as since we are privy to the secrets Shohannah carries, we can understand immediately that he has a mountain to climb to stand a chance of any romance. He has gotten so much praise that Hitler’s number one in command Goebbels, played by Sylvester Groth has made a film about him, starring Private Zoller as himself, and Goebbels after meeting Shosannah wants the venue for their premiere of this movie in her cinema, but not after she bumps into Colonel Hans, responsible for executing her family some four years earlier, fortunately for her he doesn’t seem to recognise her, but she and the audience are in two minds if this is a ploy, as when she ran away from the farm she assumed he didn’t see her face.
The Inglourious Basterds hear about the cinema event, as well as a British agent Lieutenant Archie Hicox played magnificently by Michael Fassbander (300, Hex), along with a double agent Bridget Von Hammersmark played by the gorgeous Diane Kruger (National Treasure) intend on causing a large amount of casualties during the premiere, that could possibly end the war.
The versatility of the actors in moving from German to English to French and Italian is impressive.
It is a typical Quentin Tarantino movie, lots of blood, and gore that is amusing but thoroughly enjoyable at the same time.
