Inglorious Basterds (R16)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

After the disappointment that was Tarantino’s last effort, “Death Proof”, I went into this film having fairly low expectations. Had he lost his touch? After Inglorious Basterds was over, I felt the answer was a resounding NO!

There are two stories, one of which is about Shosanna, a young Jewish girl whose family have been killed, and seeks revenge on the Nazis, and the second is about the Basterds, a team of Jewish American soldiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and their mission to kill as many Nazi soldiers as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, Inglorious Basterds isn’t perfect. It has some outstanding set pieces simply held together by two stories. But a couple of these set pieces are worth the price of admission. The first is the most striking, with Christoph Waltz’s character, SS Colonel Hans Landa, making a visit to a French farmer he suspects of hiding Jews. The scene is not remarkable on paper, but Landa’s gentle interrogation of the farmer is one of the best examples of suspense building I have seen in a long time, and I would be surprised if Waltz is not recognised come acting award season next year.

Tarantino’s favourite director is Sergio Leone, and spaghetti western afficionados will easily spot the references to Westerns throughout the film, right down to the music of Ennio Morricone playing at certain intervals.

Go see it now.

Standout performance: Christoph Waltz

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Inglorious Basterds is showing now at Reading cinema in Queenstown.  This review has been written and rated by Sally Burgess from Readings Cinema.

Download this week's movie schedule from Reading cinema.