Inglourious Bastards – Can it already be called a classic?

Possibly the biggest masterpiece of Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino is a globally known and respected movie director, who has directed many revolutionary movies such as Pulp Fiction (1994), Kill Bill (2003), Django Unchained (2012) and The Hateful Eight (2015). Tarantino has been directing movies for over 30 years now, and all the talent and experience he has acquired, really presents itself in the movie Inglourious Bastards (2009). The events take place in the early 1940s, mainly in France. The movie’s genre is a black comedy war film, but it adresses countless different things, that definitely cannot ever be called comedy. The movie has an ensemble cast, which means it doesnt have just one main character. 

Storyline which gives goosebumps even to an experienced viewer

The film tells an alternate history story, which means Tarantino is executing history events differently in the film, than how they really happened in real life. The movie pictures a story of two different plots to destroy Nazi Germany’s leadership at a Paris cinema, which Shosanna Dreyfus (played by Mélanie Laurent) owns. The other one of the two plots is carried out by recently mentioned Shosanna Dreyfus, whose family was brutally massaraced at the start of the motion picture by other Nazis and Hans Landa (played by Christoph Waltz). The other plot is carried out by an American soldier, Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt) and his recruited men, to completely annihilate the leadership of Nazi Germany. Their approach towards the Nazis is way more violent and bloody than Shosanna Dreyfus’, but at the end they both want to have their revenge. Aldo Raine and his men kill without showing any mercy, and in the film there is many scenes that include a lot of slaughter. 

The movie’s first 20 minutes, which earned Christoph Waltz an Oscar

Even though I think the whole movie was a complete masterpiece, the reason why I wanted to write about it, is the opening scene. After watching it once, I remember just rewinding the movie at least three times, so I could watch the scene again and again. I can’t even begin to comprehend how Christoph Waltz made his character so menacing and bone-chilling, especially in the first scene. 

In the opening scene, Hans Landa enters the home of LaPadites, and asks for a glass of milk. After this, he urges the girls of the house to go outside, so that he can have a word alone with their father Perrier LaPadite. The upcoming ten minutes after the girls move outside, are literally the definition of slow burn. Landa makes it clear that he knows Perrier LaPadite is hiding the Jews he’s looking for, but instead of saying it directly, he is psychologically torturing LaPadite until the scene reaches its climax. Hans Landa’s somewhat polite facade drops, his face turns completely emotionless, and he states “You’re sheltering enemies of the state, are you not?”.

Insane amount of symbolism and little details

In the film, not only is the camerawork, writing, and acting excellent, but Tarantino has also aced in bringing in little details that make it all even more impressive. The movie is so immersive, so to notice all the hidden meanings and symbolism behind things, it has to be watched a few times. To mention a few: The drinking milk scene, the eating strudel scene and the burning cinema scene. In this article, I’m not going to go into detail about the symbolism, because in a way it would ruin the fun of researching about them yourself. But if you are interested in looking into them more, the internet is full of answers and theories. 

Terrifying characters that make you squirm in your seat

Not only have I made myself already clear on the fact that I think Hans Landa is truly terrifying, but there is also other characters that aren’t far from being as blood freezing as him. For example, recently mentioned Aldo Raine. Even though his character might be a bit more humorous  and quick-witted, he is really bloodthirsty and violent, and definitely holds a grudge. He isn’t afraid to threaten with battery or abuse, nor is he fearful to execute his threats. I would also mention Dieter Hellstorm, who we only see briefly, but who seems not to own conscience at all.

The verdict

In conclusion, I think this movie is totally worth watching. But let me offer a word of warning. The movie includes a lot of violence, which in this case, means that it also includes a lot of blood. I consider myself someone who is pretty sensitive, so this movie definitely wasn’t just my “regular evening watch”, even though for you it might be. The end of the movie, I think was just what it needed to be. Let’s just say, justice was served. But for you to know what actually happens, I guess you’ll have to watch the movie. 

Written by Minea Mahlamäki