Inglourious Basterds

Lifting the title from a 1978 Italian B-movie, Quentin Tarantino here creates an alternate-reality fantasy/fable about a small group of Jewish-American soldiers under the command of Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who wreak their own savage retribution against the Nazis in occupied France. When the head of the Third Reich's propaganda bureau, Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth), decides to hold the premiere of a film celebrating the exploits of the German Army's finest sharpshooter, Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl), in Paris—with Adolf Hitler and all his henchmen in attendance—British Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) parachutes behind enemy lines to organize the Basterds to blow up the movie theater, working with glamorous German actress/undercover agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger). Meanwhile, the cinema's owner, Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), whose family was brutally executed by evil Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) several years earlier, is plotting with her lover/assistant, Marcel (Jacky Ido), to lock the doors of the building and set it on fire. Everyone meets during the finale, in which Tarantino unabashedly rewrites Holocaust history. Known for his gory, over-the-top violence and witty repartee in Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill duet, Tarantino interweaves fact with fiction and realism with fantasy in a nonlinear tale, keeping the tension taut during the more than two-and-a-half-hour running time, despite some dialogue that tends to drag on and on. With its exhilarating theme of Jewish empowerment and righteous revenge, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a roundtable discussion with director Quentin Tarantino, star Brad Pitt, and film critic Elvis Mitchell (31 min.), extended and alternate scenes (12 min.), a featurette on Enzo G. Castellari's 1978 original The Inglorious Bastards (8 min.), a conversation with costar Rod Taylor (7 min.), a featurette on the “Nation's Pride” film within the film (6 min.), a “making-of” on “Nation's Pride” (4 min.), a segment with Taylor about Victoria Bitter beer (4 min.), the behind-the-scenes segments “Quentin Tarantino's Camera Angel” (3 min.) and “Hi Sallys” with editor Sally Menke (2 min.), a poster gallery, and trailers. Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a trivia challenge using the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid Tarantino film.] (S. Granger)