“AN OFF THE WALL KILLER DVD”
Starring: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Paul Rust, Michael Fassbenderr, Mike Myers and B.J. Novak
Written & Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality
Genre: Action/Adventure/War
By John Delia
A raw action sarcastic comedy/drama, Inglourious Basterds is one of Tarantino’s best no-holds-barred, in-your-face, masterpieces. Now on DVD you can enjoy all the tasteless humor with a lion’s share of brutal sadistic war related violence. When the film ends, check out the many bonus features on the 2-disc special edition that includes a digital copy so you can carry the film around with you on your portable player.
The outlandish story goes something like this: The time is World War II and the German’s (or as Lt. Aldo Raine would say his Southern drawl NATZIS) have occupied France and are rounding up the Jews. Treacherous Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Waltz) has a very keen eye for ferreting out Jewish families who have been hiding out in French partisan homes. His henchmen murder one of those families, the Dreyfus’s, with the exception for Shosanna (Laurent) who escapes into the forest. Changing her name she takes over a cinema in a suburb of Paris and works undercover helping the resistance.
Meanwhile hillbilly Lieutenant Raine has organized a band of Jewish American soldiers he calls The Basterds. Their job is to scour the French countryside killing Nazis, and they use some highly unorthodox methods. When Raine gets a call from his superior to meet up with Shosanna for a special mission, the wheels are set in motion for a diabolical chance for retribution and revenge.
Brad Pitt puts on an awesome show as the antagonistic leader who will stop at nothing to capture his quarry and then make them suffer. His crew is even more delighted to carve-up, trounce and batter their reprehensible enemy and they take every opportunity to do so.
Throwing in some killer dark comedy, Tarantino moves his story along at a fast pace grinding out several stories that combine for his explosive twisted ending. Filling his script with vengeance and revenge, much like he did with Kill Bill, the movie becomes an ode to those who will eat it up like spooning out ice cream. Special Kudos to Tarantino for the Indian Poker scene that is so funny my ribs ached from laughing.
Special features are very good on the 2-disc special edition DVD and include extended and alternate scenes; Nation’s Pride a film within the film; a roundtable discussion with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and Elvis Mitchell, and much more. Oh, yes make sure you check out the Making Of Nation’s Pride another great bonus.
Inglourous Basterds has brilliant cinematography, choreography, costuming and cast. It does however also have an R rating due to strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality. Some of the scenes are very realistic and could cause one to cringe, wince and cower as I did many times.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A film I still talk about with friends. (5 of 5 Palm Trees)