Inglourious Basterds - Review

This is my favourite Tarantino film. I remember in my first year of film school, some girl in my class called me an idiot for thinking so. She said this film was perfect, but I was an idiot for not having Pulp Fiction as my favourite Tarantino film. Sometimes being a film fan is hard. However, I still stand by my claim that this is my favourite of Tarantino's works. First reason, I love the setting. 1944, Nazi Occupied France. For some reason, I think that time period of Nazi rule is just fascinating to watch on screen. I know that sounds bad because I am 75% German, but I find that stuff interesting. What can I say? I also love the German language, which is good because the best parts of this film are almost entirely in German. Maybe that has something to do with me hearing it all the time as a kid. Fun fact, my sister and I are the only members of our immediate family who cannot speak German. It's just a very authoritative language which sounds like you mean business no matter what you are saying. So those are just some minor details I found interesting, but what makes this film fantastic are the characters. Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, the SS "Jew Hunter" is magnificent. His pretentious dialogue mixed with his evil joking persona makes him a great character. He almost makes you feel uncomfortable about how evil he is and yet he plays it off so joyful. I also find it impressive that he is able to speak four separate languages in this film. Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, Melanie Laurent, and Michael Fassbender are all fantastic additions to the cast and they all give the film different elements which make for a great mix. Brad Pitt and his "Basterds" are hilarious. From the way they speak to even the slapstick they are able to pull off, they are a great time. They also give us an ending so violent, you can't help but laugh at how over the top it is. Melanie Laurent and Daniel Bruhl act more as plot devices for other characters to come together, but even they have their own unique stories and personalities that are interesting to watch. And while Brad Pitt's "Basterds" and the connection between Laurent and Bruhl are great to watch, by far one of my favourite scenes of all time consists of Michael Fassbender playing a Nazi in disguise with Diane Kruger's Bridget Von Hammersmark. I won't give anything away in case you haven't seen it, but I don't think I can think of a scene with more tension. Seriously, I can't. This one tops them all. If you have never seen a Tarantino film before, I recommend you definitely watch his entire body of work. Now I haven't seen Kill Bill Vol.2 and I haven't seen Kill Bill Vol. 1, Jackie Brown and Reservoir Dogs in a really long time, but he is truly an excellent filmmaker. Him as a person, can't stand, but he knows how to make an excellent film and Inglourious Basterds just so happens to be my favourite.