Inglourious Basterds

Refreshingly different alternative WW2 drama/adventure RELEASED IN 2009 and directed by Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds" takes place during the German occupation of France in WW2 and revolves around a ruthless “Jew Hunter” Nazi (Christoph Waltz), a beautiful young theater owner dripping with vengeance, a German war hero who pesters her and a brutal team of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine. This was my first taste of the popular director's eccentric repertoire, although I've since seen all of his movies. The first time I tried to watch "Basterds" I gave up around the 50-minute mark. Don't get me wrong, the dialogue-driven opening sequence is great but the film seemed to bog down with its focus on a French theater during the German occupation and the accompanying interminable dialogue (mostly in subtitles). I just wasn't ready for this because I was expecting a Dirty Dozen-styled WW2 film with lots of action and all that goes with it. What I got instead was a plot that focused on the aforementioned theater accompanied by long sessions of generally subtitled dialogue. I eventually gave it a second chance with the understanding that this

Second time seeing this since it was released on Blu-ray in 2009 and still is a solid war-thriller with Tarantino's flair with dialogue and of course, feet. But seriously, despite being 2.5 hours, the time flew by thanks to the brisk pace and great performances from all around. Not my favorite Tarantino film but it's up there. 4.5/5

It's obviously Tarantino, creating tension with long dialogues and containing short bursts of violence, although some scenes could have been shortened or omitted. Great to see the lineup of French and German actors, where the terrific Waltz takes the cake. 8/10