Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Quentin Tarantino rocks again as Inglorious Basterds takes a cinematically grounded yet fresh approach to a kill-the-Nazis theme. Our story begins with an intriguing premise: What if, had history gone differently, a crack team of American Jews took surgical, bloody, insurgent revenge on hundreds of Nazis in France and ultimately succeeded in assassinating Hitler, Goebbels, Goering, and Bormann in a propaganda premiere turned conflagration? The characters and low-key (if often lethal) comedic developments make this story pop and sizzle (esp. as Hitler and his murderous ilk get what's coming to them). Brad Pitt is Lt. Aldo Raine, a vowel-chewing soldier from Atlanta who recruits a deadly squad of American Jews and demands 100 Nazi scalps from every one of his men. Diane Kruger plays his would-be co-conspirator in a plan of attack that's beyond his means. (Foreign dialects are his downfall, esp. I-talian.) Melanie Laurent is Shosanna, his ultimate co-conspirator who fills the bill (literally and hauntingly). Stellar in this film though is Oscar winner Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa, the urbane, witty, and deadly Nazi officer known as "the Jew Hunter." (He hates the nickname but prattles on about it as he plays with his victims like a cat with a mouse.) Most of the movie's grisly moments and wounds are all but bloodless -- scalping should be quite a bit messier than shown, for just one example -- thus avoiding the trap of splatterporn. Besides, Tarantino loves to push the boundaries of violence while drumming it for comedic effect -- and he does this very well. All caricatures aside, you may find yourself cheering as the Nazis meet their demise. (Think of the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark but with more Nazis, panic, and carnage.) The best scenes, however, are detailed, character-based, and full of fun (esp. anything with Christoph Waltz in it and Aldo's unraveling plan in the bar). Have a sense of humor and enjoy! A film buff co-worker already owns this movie and so will I. 5 stars.