AfroPixFlix:

A mark of a distinctive filmmaker is that rarely can one discuss a film by Quentin Tarentino without mentioning his name within the first few seconds of the discussion. He has created his own imprimatur that instantly tells you what type of film you are in for when you sit in your seat and the curtain goes up. This one will not disappoint. Enough gore to fill several back haulers; over the top graphics that literally point you to key screen elements (like "this is a bad guy"); larger than life characters that are even larger than larger than life; funky mood music; a departure from the usual three act cinema experience; and Chester Gould-like use of bold, primary colors. All of this is wrapped up in a long movie that entertains like a good comic book. Oh, the storyline. The only thing that historically matters is that the setting is the Nazi occupation of France during WWII, and it involves a band of Jewish Nazi-hunters who endeavor to execute a brilliant scheme to topple the Third Reich and end the war early. Enough pseudo-history, it's a bad guys versus good guys thing. Guess who wins?

dfwforeignbuff:

Talk about an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth. In Quentin Tarantino's blood-soaked new film-Brad Pitt ; his merry band of Jewish soldiers bash Nazi soldiers' heads with a baseball bat collect their scalps in a bid to avenge their people stop the Holocaust. At its roots, Tarantino's World War II fantasy ; its orgy of violence are little more than cartoonish savagery perhaps a cathartic experience for some Jewish viewers. It's a sort of reverse form of sadistic enjoyment: Jews giving Nazis the ultimate taste of their own medicine. The film also represents a growing genre of Jewish-themed films in which the victims become the victors. Anne Frank is no longer hiding in the attic; the fate of Judaism no longer depends on benevolent Gentiles like Oskar Schinkder. The main theme of the film is revenge. Gives us an alternate history of the Second World War in which the entire top leadership of Nazi Germany, namely Hitler, Goering, Goebbels ; Bormann attend a film premiere in Paris celebrating the exploits of a German sniper who had managed to kill 300 American soldiers in Italy. Most of the film's time frame is set in early June 1944, after the D-Day landings but before the liberation of Paris. The film tracks the separate attempts to kill Hitler by two disparate forces. The Basterds have a method whereby each man must cut off the scalp of a dead Nazi soldier, with orders to get 100 scalps each. The Basterds allow one German soldier to survive each incident so as to spread the news of the terror of their attacks. However, the Basterds carve a swastika into the forehead of that German. The other force concerns Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent), the only survivor of a Jewish family killed by the Jew Hunter, who plots her own revenge on the Nazis. The Basterds Shosanna remains unaware of each other throughout the film. To me this film appeared mostly as a farcical comedy. Brad Pitts accent is so horrible. The film is well constructed with great sets cinematography etc. 4 stars

ricoPan:

Is it too much to ask that this will conclude Tarentino's slide? Sophomoric, self-indulgent, and self-referential -- perhaps that's what you've come to expect from this director. But without story or character, this is the worst waste of money and talent I have seen in a long time. Cute, sporadically clever, but dreadfully boring.

Walt D in LV:

Everything you expect in a Tarentino movie: Chaptered storylines, Long mesmerizing bits of dialogue, action, violence, HUMOR, and it is all absolutely fantastic! Not enough good things can be said for Chistoph Waltz' performance (he won Best Actor at Cannes for his role) and Brad Pitt: They are both simultaneously scary and hilarious! A must-see for Tarantino fans, of course, whether in theaters or on DVD/Blu-ray. 8/22/09

Jeremy Thomas:

After the commercial failure of Grindhouse and the long-delayed development of the script, Quentin Tarantino had a lot to prove with Inglorious Basterds. To say he delivered is an understatement. The film is quintessential Tarantino by melding all the genres that he loves, crossing authenticity to the language and the era with the director's outlandish style in a seamless melding. The plot is quite dense and features some excellent performances, particularly Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent as the villain and heroine, respectively. Waltz plays a wonderful Nazi monster, alternately charismatic and vicious while Laurent smolders as the victimized woman hell-bent on revenge. The film is wonderfully made and has some of Tarantino's best dialogue to date. The climax is a surprise because you don't see it coming and has one of the most iconic images in a movie this year, with a certain face projected on smoke. This is a movie that not all filmgoers will like due to the subtitles, the heavy dialogue and the fact that the marketing machine portrayed a different kind of film, but those who can handle these will greatly enjoy it.

dfwforeignbuff:

Talk about an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. In Quentin Tarantino's blood-soaked new film Inglourious Basterds Brad Pitt and his merry band of Jewish soldiers bash Nazi soldiers' heads with a baseball bat and collect their scalps in a bid to avenge their people and stop the Holocaust. At its roots, Tarantino's World War II fantasy and its orgy of violence are little more than cartoonish savagery and perhaps a cathartic experience for some Jewish viewers. It's a sort of reverse form of Schadenfreude: Jews giving Nazis the ultimate taste of their own medicine. Yet the film also represents a growing genre of Jewish-themed films in which the victims become the victors. Anne Frank is no longer hiding in the attic; the fate of Judaism no longer depends on benevolent Gentiles like Oskar Schinkder Fast-food-loving hit man Vince Vega (John Travolta), his philosophical partner Jules (Samuel L. Jackson), a drug-addled gangster's moll (Uma Thurman) and a washed-up boxer (Bruce Willis) converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time. Director and co-writer Quentin Tarantino uses whip-smart dialogue to propel the most audacious and imitated movie of the 1990s

JJ 852710:

Meh. This just solidified my general distaste for Tarantino. But I'll concede, he knows what the masses want though and he serves it up in a trough. There was some nuance and a bit of panache to his early films whereas IB seemed sloppy and lazy at times. He wraps overexposed plot elements and tired dialogue around the same hunk of bloody Kenucky Ash that his golem uses to dispatch unidimensional Nazis and bludgeons the viewer into submitting to this overlong pastiche that would have worked better as a Zombie flick. Christopher Waltz was brilliant however. That he could work at all , much less excel under Tarantino's direction is an amazing commendation of the Actor's talent. I look forward to seeing more from him.

Firewater:

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS was a Quentin Tarantino tour-de-force. I'm a QT fan and his imprint is apparent here. This movie has intelligent dialogue, graphic violence, and that one shot that is pointing up into the faces of the actors. The cinematography and set design are also top-notch. But, it is the story that is the star here. After VALKYRIE I was afraid that I was in for another WWII assassination caper that could only end in one way. Without ruining the movie for you, let me say that I was pleasantly surprised. At nearly 3 hours, this movie does take some commitment to watch all the way through, but you will find that it moves quickly enough. I bought this one for my QT collection, and I recommend it. [12-26-2009]

Marillion:

The opening scene of Inglourious Basterds is pure dynamite, tense, dramatic and vintage Tarantino. Unfortunately it goes downhill from there and never reaches the same intensity again. That being said there are scenes in the movie that work well and keep you interested enough to make the movie watchable, but certainly not enough to make the "great" or even very good in my opinion. Maybe one of the things that bothers me the most about this film is that it takes a serious subject (Nazi atrocities against the Jews) and rewrites history in an effort to somehow provide some kind of revisionist justice for the Jews. While the sentiment may not have meant to be degrading, it somehow feels cheap and completely unnecessary. Now I know Tarantino supporters will talk about it being a WWII based Spaghetti Western, fantasy blah blah blah but frankly there are just some subjects that just do not work in that context and the Holocaust happens to be one of them. On the bright side Christopher Waltz is absolutely brilliant a sadistic SS officer and Brad Pitt is better than I expected in his role. Maybe had this movie gone a different path it could have been special but it didnt and thus its just plain ordinary. Inglourious Basterds gets 2.5/5 stars

raddevon:

A supremely satisfying ending casts of the restraints of historical accuracy and expertly caps off this violent and hilarious movie.

Nick :

Tarantino rewrites WWII and pretty much turns it into a comic book. Here's what I liked. The writing. The directing. The acting. Here's what I did not like. The violence and the ending. It just did not work for me. The excessive violence was gratuitous and unnecessary. Unlike Kill Bill Vol I and II, where I felt the violence was appropriate for the story, Inglorious Basterds is more like a snuff film disguised as a movie, which is pretty tasteless.

Walt D in NLV:

Another fun Tarantino film exploring a different 70s genre. Lots of long dialogue, violence, quirky characters, and plenty of humor. This even has a bit of female nudity, which is welcome, but different from most any other Tarantino film. A different tale than the original, not really a remake. Brad Pitt creates another iconic memorable character as he has in films like 12 Monkeys, True Romance, and Snatch. This is spaghetti western done right, like no one else today can. If you enjoy Tarantino films, you should enjoy this just as much. 9/14/09

JHiott:

Not since Raiders of the Lost Ark have Nazis been disposed of with such gore and glee. Tarantino surely can write dialogue but overall the story is sluggish. There are some interesting twists and an immensely satisfying climax. Pitt's accent is forced and is one of the few flaws. Again, in true Tarantino style, music is used to great effect as is homage to other films and filmmakers he presumably admires.

Agorante:

I was surprised to read here in the user reviews that this is a long movie. It didn't seem long to me at the time. I also had no trouble with the subtitles. On the whole I thought it was fascinating just as Tom Cruise's film on a similar topic was mind numbingly dull. Brad Pitt is currently the funniest man in movies. He is almost as funny here as he was in Burn After Reading. Just a few years ago with Troy I thought he was going after the Arnold Schwarzenegger type roles. Nope. He has turned toward the Steve Martin roles. Pretty versatile for a guy who was once considered just pretty.

BlueVoid:

Quentin Tarantino has nitched out his own special brand of movies, creating a style that is all his own. He sucks you into his own world and you are just there for the ride. And what a fantastic ride Inglrious Basterds is. The trailers for the film were decieving. They would have you believe that the entire film is going to be about the Basterds killing everything in sight. While this is of coure a part of the film, it was a surprising small part. I did want to see more of the Basterds, explore their origins, and see some creative death scenes, but in the end that movie would have been too thin. Adding the primary storyline adds weight and makes this a more fulfilling film. This is a revenge film through and through, and the Tarentino captures the powerful emotion perfectly utilizing every bit of his creative freedom to pull the strings of the viewers own emotions and reveal anger and lust for revenge over the Holocaust. More than just a revenge film though, this is a film about films. Tarentino is one of the biggest film fans around and he borrows and pays homage to countless films that influenced him. It's more than just meaningless movie trivia however. Tarentino works these references seamlessly into his work enhancing it. Above all, this is a beautiful film. There are only a handful of scenes, and each is very long, carefully crafted and brilliantly acted. Christoph Waltz was amazing in the film as Hans Landa, creating one of the most compelling movie villains in film history. Hans Landa is charming, intelligent and someone that you love to hate. He and the rest of the cast allowed Tarentino to craft impacting scenes. Scenes where eye candy, wonderful dialog and meaningful symbolism all mesh together to create high quality cinema. Inglorious Basterds is a powerful, funny, insightful and just plain fun movie which goes down as one of the better revenge fantasy of all time.

JLo:

As a friend of mine said, this is a Tarantino film but at the same time it isn't. It's a pastiche of genres, referencing films (even in the title), incredible to look at and full of over-the-top violence, acting and bombastic anachronistic music. And I have to say, I liked this more than both Kill Bill movies. I do think it fits in nicely with a revenge series by Tarantino. Not since Heath Ledger's Joker have I seen such a wonderful, fun-to-watch villain in Christop Waltz's Colonel Hans Landa. Tarantino doe something in this movie basically allows history and circumstances be prop pieces in a story that he wants to tell. To heck with what we know of history; this is about story and characters. In a way, I felt like this film hearkens back to Jackie Brown when it comes to telling stories with utterly fascinating characters. One gripe: I liked Eli Roth's Bear Jew better with his mouth shut. I hope I don't affect anyone's perception of the movie, but Roth's character was adequately dreadful and horrifying as he hit his baseball bat on the palm of his hand and smirked at his next victim. When he opened his mouth, well, I will let you be the judge. Each scene is drawn out with interesting dialogue and incredible tension. Aside from the very first scene with Christoph Waltz, my second favorite scene was at the movie theater when three of the basterds acted as if they were out of a Marx brothers movie. Funny stuff.

BloodyShadows:

If you had any doubt that Quentin Tarantino was America's best director, Inglourious Basterds will assure you that yes, he CAN do anything. Basterds is a brilliant and inspired story that reminds you that you can only love a story if the author loves the story. Quentin does and we get to benefit in its delight. Simply put, some of Tarantino's greatest scenes and dialogues can be found in Basterds. I couldn't help but noticing how incredibly obvious Tarantino's love for cinema is. Not that I ever questioned it, but it seems every frame in this film was created with purpose, inspiration, and a complete disregards for expectations. There are two story lines here: 1) Shoshannah, whose parents were killed by a character named "The Jew Hunter" and her plot for revenge and 2) the Basterds, who as described are Nazi hunters. The two stories are tied together by the best performance by any actor in a Tarantino film: Christoph Waltz. If you're a lover of cinema, you must see this film.

Supercords:

Not exactly the movie I anticipated going in. I was looking forward to more of a gorilla warfare killing spree between the Basterds and the Nazi?s. Instead, the plot was much more involved, with very little action scenes by the rebel squad. It?s a drama, first and foremost, with extremely violent intermissions. As a Tarantino loyalist, it hurts me to say that I wish the film had gone in the direction I expected. More run and gun, less plot and intrigue. I would have liked to learn more about the various members of the band, how they got their nicknames, where they are from, how they came to be recruited, and the various interactions among them as they cut their way through he Nazi lines. We got one solitary scene of that. It?s not a bad movie, just not the one I was hoping to see. Rating: B-

pace.:

It was fantastic! This is probably Tarantino?s most interesting work, visually speaking, and it?s great that a subtitled, World War II film is the number one flick in America. Also, Christoph Waltz puts in a stunning performance and outshines his more famed co-stars.

zfj 323327:

Though Brad Pitt's "nat-zi" lines in the trailer may draw crowds, the film is based around a number of characters. There are five chapters and each has its own style, a QT signature. There are many powerful scenes where there isn't a Basterd to be found. The opening sequence is perhaps the best 20 minutes ever put onto film and the tension is phenomenal. QT's style is dominant from the opening titles, lending flare and zest to the font selection, yes the font selection, of various actors in the film. Music plays a dominant role in every scene containing an ounce of tension (which nearly all do) and the dialogue is mind blowingly captivating, perhaps QT's best to date. There are scenes written into IB that are some of the best I've ever seen and cinematography is perfectly orchestrated throughout. Narration during a few select portions of the film is even carried out by Samuel L. Jackson, a nice touch. Brad Pitt once again proves he is flat out awesome and Christoph Waltz should be honored with an Academy Award for his performance as Hans Landa, The Jew Killer. The biggest flaw in the film is that Basterd deaths are treated with far less attention than their colorful characters deserve. Some notable characters bite the dust and aren't given near the pomp and circumstance they received with their cinematic introduction. After I saw the film, my wife called me to see what I thought. I am an enormous fan of digesting films for at least a few hours before giving a truly thought out opinion. The one thing I said with certainly a mere minutes after it wrapped was "it was probably the most entertaining film I've seen in years". I stand by that statement and add that now, hours after viewing it, I am thinking back to numerous scenes and completely in awe of what I just witnessed. It is a QT masterpiece, one or two rating points lower than Pulp Fiction and deserving of a repeat visit with certaintly. I honestly cannot wait.

WideStance:

You've got to hand it to Quentin Tarantino. Whatever your opinion of the "fictitious history" on display in Inglourious Basterds, the director has made one of the most insanely original and unpredictable war movies of all time. A bold, swaggering movie that tosses the history books right out the window. So if you go into it expecting to see a certain mustachioed megalomaniac meet his end in a bunker with a pistol and a cyanide pill, you're in for a big surprise. I'm completely comfortable calling the exhilarating Inglourious Basterds Tarantino's best movie to date.

hlm 1299915:

First off, I really enjoyed it. For a movie that is 2.5 hours long, I wanted more. I was disappointed that it ended. For all the talk about how the violence was slow to come, but when it came it was intense. I sort of feel different. I felt that the tension created in almost all of the chapters was so great that it was more unnerving than the violence. However, I must say that Tarantino did it again. He made me laugh out loud at horrific moments.

Brier Patch:

My primary service as a reviewer of Inglorious Basterds would have to be my recommendation for those who liked this movie to watch Black Book by Paul Verhoeven (director of Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers, etc.). It is another lurid, thoroughly engaging tale of Nazi resistance by a director with a rock 'em, sock 'em style. I found it more dramatically satisfying, with a broader appeal than Inglorious Basterds. But there was plenty to like in Tarantino's latest. I was particularly impressed by how much tension he and his actors generated in their scenes. Although there is plenty of action (often gruesome), this is not an action movie. Character interaction and dialogue are what make this movie tick. Tarantino's script give the actors plenty to work with and the good acting, along with an audacious score and superior dressing, lighting, and direction, make for a very entertaining night at the movies... at least for those numbed to brutality and up for very dark humor.

Frank W:

Inglourious Basterds is a funny film. It's also bloody and offensive. But most of all it's an extremely sad movie sure to make us all stop down and contemplate a web of conflicting thoughts and emotions. In a testament to Tarantino's brilliant writing, the film's 2-hour plus runtime never drags in spite of the fact that it's made up of mostly dialogue. Inglourious Basterds is definitely Tarantino?s best work since Pulp Fiction, and time will tell if it becomes his best piece of art to date.

SuperShortReview:

This is an incredible movie on so many levels, the plot is not at all what you'd expect (in a good way), the violence is way, WAY over-the-top, even secondary characters are fully developed, and it is gorgeous to look at, but the thing that makes this film Tarantino's best since 'Reservoir Dogs', is unquestionably the perfect, PERFECT I tell you, performance of Cristoph Waltz, who plays a Nazi who is at times, evil, bloodthirsty, relentless, and yes, laugh-out-loud funny!

teddyKGB:

Almost a decade and a half in the making, Inglourious Basterds is one of the best movies of 2009 and director Quentin Tarantino's finest film since 1994's Pulp Fiction. More than anything, Basterds is a brilliantly written feast of words. Smart, exciting, and humorous dialogue have always been the trademarks of a Tarantino script but in this movie his words are delivered by an entire cast of superb actors. Christopher Waltz steals every scene as SS Colonel Hans Landa. The movie contains some very gruesome sequences but they last for only 10 seconds at most and make up around a total minute of the film's 153 minute runtime. This movie is a must-see. I was on edge the entire time I watched it, there is never a dull moment in this masterpiece but for the action-packed A.D.D. Michael Bay fans out there, this will not be a movie for you.

Mandark XX:

I will try to be short and sweet with this review. I am a big Tarantino fan and was looking forward to seeing this movie. Unfortunately, it fell far short of my expectations. Although filmed beautifully, the pace of this film is incredibly slow and the payoff for waiting is less than satisfying. Additionally, the film is about 66% subtitled. Although I admire Tarantino for creating a mood of authenticity by having all characters speaking in their native language, trying to read so many subtitles at breakneck speed (this film is dialogue heavy) was unexpected and grew to be tedious. As previously mentioned, Tarantiono did shoot this film beautifully. It really shows how much he has grown as a filmmaker. Also, I agree that Christoph Waltz does give an amazing performance. His ability to make this character so threatening while showing nothing but geniality is truly the treat of this movie. One more thing for Tarantino fans... If you are used to his usual ultra-violent, over the top, Peckinpah-esque film making, you will be in for a huge disappointment. Although this film does have some violent scenes, they are far and few between.

Peter Childs:

I have been waiting for this movie since November of 2008, I know everything there is to know about this movie. I have read the screenplay (illegally) online, and if Quentin does it right I can confidently say five facts. It will be in my top fifteen favorite movies, it will be considered one of the top 10 best war movies ever, it can be better then Pulp Fiction, if the Academy isn't in the same mood they were in last year (not nominating Dark Knight) then this can win best supporting actress Melanie Laurent best actor Brad Pitt (if the Curious Case why not this) and best picture, and finally the fifth thing I promise "Inglorious Basterds" will do is be the most kick a$$ movie of 2009.