Inglorious Basterds (2009) movie review

 

World War II was the darkest of conflicts in human history, lasting for six years, and it saw the most horrific acts ever committed in human history. We know how it ended, and what the cost was. And we know what the name Adolf Hitler means, just as we know what Nazism truly is. And yet, in the following decades, the global film industry has produced many incredible movies set during the war. Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, The Monuments Men, and Der Untergang.

However, one special movie deserves to be covered, and that is 2009's Inglorious Basterds by Quinten Tarantino, starring Brad Pitt, Christopher Waltz, Daniel Bruhl (of later MCU fame) and Michael Fassbender and guest-starring Mike Myers. The story follows a pair of Jewish Allied commandos on a mission in Europe as they take on the Nazis, and begin making plans to take out Adolf Hitler and his inner circle when circumstances fall into place.

Despite being intense, with many grizzly scenes, Inglorious Basterds is a fun action flick with wonderful writing and good special effects. The start of the film was a highlight for me, especially as it draws you in. I want to focus on that for a bit, especially as it starts on a farm in the countryside of Nazi-occupied France, and the film's main villain, SS colonel Hans Landa, visits the French farmer Perrier in his search for a hiding Jewish family. 

In just the first ten to fifteen minutes, you are drawn into the film, especially with Landa and Perrier's conversation. The highlight of the scene is when they start talking in English after speaking in French, but you can't deny how suspenseful the opening is. Perrier gives away the Jews that Landa is hunting are hiding beneath the floor, and Landa pretends to leave as he brings in his men. Obviously, the Nazis shoot through the floor, but what really cements this as the best opening scene for an R-rated movie is that... we don't see any blood in that moment.

Yes, there is blood at various points in the movie, but the opening only shows the soldiers shoot through the floor, with no blood flying everywhere. Mr. Tarantino is undoubtedly a visionary, and his style has to be respected. Even fifteen years after its release, Inglorious Basterds deserves a world of respect. Adolf Hitler does makes an appearance in the movie, played by German actor Martin Wukke. The movie depicts Hitler wearing a cape for a time in the movie, which is pretty funny, and he has gone on to become an online meme within the world of Hitler-related memes. Really, Hitler's first scene sees him banging his fist on the table and screaming "no" about four times in German. 

Oh, and he gets shot and killed in a theater at the end of the movie, just like Abraham Lincoln in our world. Inglorious Basterds is an alternate history WW2 film, folks.

My dad and I watched it on YouTube months ago, and it was a fun experience to see it. Inglorious Basterds is a must-see for anyone who likes watching crazy World War II movies, and if you're into alternate history in general. My score for the movie is a 9.8/10, and I was fortunate to see this one. Have fun out there, people.

-James M