Inglourious Basterds is the latest Quentin Tarantino film to hit the big screens. The movie is based on a World War II film made by Enzo Castellari in 1978. However Tarantino merely borrows the title from the old film and re-does almost everything else.
In this film, Brad Pitt’s character, Aldo Raine organizes a group of Jewish-American soldiers to perform organized acts of retribution against the Nazi’s in occupied France. This group called the “Basterds” by their enemy performs shocking and brutal acts of violence and mutilation of corpses. They meet Shosanna Drefus (Melanie Laurent) who witnessed the execution of her family and narrowly escaped to France. Then Shosanna together with the Basterds mount their biggest struggle – to take down the leaders of Third Reich.
Many critics claim that this film is very unlike Quentin Tarantino. The film does not build on a series of sequences upping the stakes and ending in a climax, as with his previous films. Those expecting to witness long and brutal gunfights maybe disappointed as they suddenly appear and disappear quickly. There is plenty of humor and long drawn dialogue as with any Tarantino film. However, it must be said that this film is by no means a failure. Although it may not be a modern day Pulp Fiction, it certainly reeks of Tarantino inventiveness and originality, which yet again provides his audiences with a brilliant film and a terrific good time.