Inglourious Basterds

(dir. Quentin Tarantino) There are two stories of wartime France here that join together in the final act: Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) leading a team of Naxi-scalping soldiers behind enemy lines and Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) as the polyglot ‘jew hunter’ for the Reich.

Pitt is the funniest he’s ever been, Michael Fassbender relishes his role as German-speaking film critic & commando Archie Hicox, Daniel Brühl is hilarious and terrifying as sniper hero Zoller, but it is Christoph Waltz who steals every scene with a charmingly sociopathic performance as Landa. He quite rightly won nearly every supporting actor award the year the film was released.

Tarantino’s talent is evident from his dialogue writing to his shot composition to his anachronistic but excellent use of music. Here he crafts numerous smart, funny, and tense scenes. Ultimately, though, I found this a rather slight film that, while entertaining to watch, didn’t leave me feeling like I hard learnt anything new. ★★★★☆