Inglourious Basterds (5 Stars)

After watching this film again it seems like Quentin Tarantino's best film. But then again, whenever I watch one of his films it seems like his best. They always leave a deep impression on me, during and after watching them.

Quentin is often praised or criticised for his over-the-top violence. But that isn't what he's about. If you watch "Inglourious Basterds" carefully, you'll see that there are very few scenes with violence. There might seem to be more because these few scenes are all exaggerated. Quentin's films are all about dialogue and atmosphere. The interrogation scene at the beginning between Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) and the farmer at the beginning is incredibly intense. It's more oppressive than any scene with overt violence.

Which reminds me of something that I've said before, but I have to repeat it. Christoph Waltz won an Oscar as the best supporting actor for his performance in this film. While he undoubtedly deserved it, it was a mistake. He wasn't a supporting actor, he was the main actor. Brad Pitt played the film's hero, Aldo the Apache, but if you count the minutes of screen time we see less of him than of Christoph Waltz. Maybe the good guy has to be the main actor. Or maybe it's just because Brad Pitt is the biggest star and the highest paid actor in the film. Either way, it's a mistake.

The film gives an appreciative nod to German cinema. Quentin Tarantino, forever a film geek, points out through the lips of Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) that even during the Third Reich German films were very good. It's easily forgotten that Hitler didn't just impose racism and nationalism on his country, he also brought about a renaissance in the arts.