Inglorious Basterds

Inglorious Basterds is the first Tarantino film to rewrite history. It demonstrates the director's incredible maturity while still retaining his style and personality. This movie is under more control, and more content with lengthy conversations. It employs concepts of being seen and unseen (everyone in this film is putting on an act for others). In short, Tarantino made a film about films.

Still, given its Second World War context, the movie never seems carefree. Tarantino is well aware of how horrific and awful wars - and particularly the Holocaust - could be. What made Inglorious Basterds so compelling is that Tarantino is obviously keeping his strengths while also stepping up his game. The conversation between Hans Landa (by Christoph Waltz) and a farmer (by Denis Ménochet) at the beginning is such a suspenseful sequence that you will stop breathing until it is over.

Tarantino then delivers a welcome break with the Basterds, which has one of Brad Pitt's finest portrayals as Lt. Aldo Raine. It’s amazing to watch the film unfold and see how representations are constructed (the Basterds leaving trails of slaughter) then destroyed (raising the three fingers).

Release year: 2009

Stars: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger

IMDB score: 8.3/10