Inglourious Basterds (2009)
★★★★ — Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Quentin Tarantino spent the better part of a decade developing Inglourious Basterds, returning to a World War II revenge fantasy concept he had been circling since the late 1990s (the title itself a deliberate misspelling, a nod to the 1978 Italian war film Quel maledetto treno blindato). Coming off Kill Bill and Death Proof, this was Tarantino's most ambitious production to date, shot largely in Germany and France with a $70 million budget and a genuinely international cast. Christoph Waltz, then largely unknown outside European television, was cast as SS Colonel Hans Landa after the role had reportedly been offered to and turned down by several more recognisable names. The film arrived at a moment when Tarantino's reputation had cooled slightly, and its premiere at Cannes 2009, where Waltz took the Best Actor prize, marked a decisive return to critical favour.
Business is good. That farmhouse intro scene is one of the greatest opening sequences in cinema history. Tension so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Christoph Waltz delivers the most terrifyingly charming villain performance of his career. Every word dripping with menace, every smile a veiled threat. From the moment he drinks that milk, you know you’re in for something special. The film barrels forward with incredible set pieces, sharp dialogue, and a cast of characters that are all dialled up to 11. Brad Pitt’s Lieutenant Aldo Raine is endlessly quotable ("we’re in the killin’ Nazi business, and cousin... business is a-boomin’"), Mélanie Laurent’s Shosanna is captivating, and the underground tavern scene is one of Tarantino’s finest. How he writes scenes like this I'll never understand but they're SO Tarantino. But it does lose a little steam in the middle. Some scenes feel like they revel in the self-indulgence a bit too much, slowing the momentum before it punches back with that explosive, operatic finale. And while Tarantino’s love for messing with history makes for an undeniably entertaining climax, I can’t help but feel like the real-life story of the Basterds was already amazing enough. The film didn’t need to go full "alternate history spectacle" with Hitler getting obliterated in a hail of gunfire (as nice as that is to imagine). Still, minor gripes aside, this is Tarantino firing on all cylinders. Violent, stylish, witty, and powered by a career-best performance from Waltz. Not quite his magnum opus, but it's up there.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 2009 | Watched: 2025-04-02
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Quentin Tarantino: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019) · Pulp Fiction (1994) · Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) · Reservoir Dogs (1992)
More with Brad Pitt: Babel (2006) · Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) · Burn After Reading (2008) · Twelve Monkeys (1995)
More from Germany: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Cemetery Man (1994) · The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) · Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More drama: Viy (1967) · Wonder (2017) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Beautiful Boy (2018)
More thriller: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Angst (1983) · The Long Walk (2025) · Punishment Park (1971)
