Inglourious Basterds

Quentin Tarantino rarely disappoints, and true to form, Inglorious Basterds was a gritty suspense flick with his trademark gore and plot twists. Brad Pitt is able to seamlessly transform into the role of Tennessee Lt Aldo Raine. Tarantino keeps us guessing with this character who, unlike the other Basterds, has no back story vignette, but a horrendous “hang man’s” scar that is never explained. Nice touch, Tarantino, nice touch.

The setting is World War II and mostly in Germany-occupied France. With lush backgrounds and detailed costumes it’s a beautiful cinematographic treat. Even better is the great acting, punchy comic relief, quirky cameos (Mike Meyers), and righteous motivations all mixed into the brutality and lack of humanity a war brings out in most civilizations.

There are some moments that are so deliciously suspenseful, I found myself holding my breath in the theater. Especially the scene in the basement bar where a clandestine rendezvous is complicated by the thick presence of German soldiers and officers—not exactly the prime spot for plotting the Third Reich’s downfall.

Just when you think things are going to go one way, Tarantino jerks the rug out from under you. You just don’t know how it’s going to end until it does.

The parallel plot lines that twist into a nice, explosive fuse on a dynamite story have us thinking we want the director’s cut when it’s released on DVD.  Forget what you learned in the history books here, folks. Tarantino rewrites it for us, the way it should have been.