REVIEW: INGLORIOUS B*STERDS
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Inglorious B******s (2009) takes place in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, where a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a cinema owner's vengeful plans to do the same🎞 - Even though it took me a while to realize it, I’m pretty sure IB is my (current) favorite film from Quentin Tarantino. I was hesitant to write a review on it because I thought I couldn’t say much that hasn’t already been said before, but since I made the claim of it being my favorite, I felt it was fair to explain why, at least in my own words. Out of all of Tarantino’s films, I just feel like Inglorious B* has the most to offer & then some. It has something for everyone, really. It’s got action, a rich plot, history, violence, thrills, suspense, war, politics, emotion, all wrapped into one - & this is another instance were Tarantino nails such an ambitious challenge that not many directors could've pulled off. - Though the film is titled Inglorious B******s, the film really follows two parties: the B*, & Shoshanna, the Jewish cinemaowner living in Nazi-occupied France who is also one of the best characters among all of Tarantino’s films; though Shoshanna’ storyline is far more interesting to follow than the B******s’, they complement each other really well - & the B******s add that Tarantino quality & action you’d also want & expect to see, without taking away from Shoshanna’s story. Besides taking place in the same setting, the two storylines are only connected by one character: the film’s terrifying villain, Hans Landa. Anyone that’s seen the film can tell you that Landa without a doubt steals the show with his incredible on-screen performance, & solidifies himself as not only one of the best Tarantino characters, but arguably one of the best movie villains of all time. While that’s attributed to QT’s writing, the character wouldn’t be anything (& he’d cease to exist on-screen according to QT himself) without Christoph Waltz & his bone-chilling performance & on-screen presence. - From the very first moment we meet Hans Landa, during the outstanding first 20-30 minutes of the film, we know everything we need to know about him for us to remain on the edge of our seats whenever we see him throughout the rest of the film. We’re well-aware that this is a person to be feared, one that doesn’t play around. As soon as he appears on screen in any scene, the atmosphere of the scene changes… suddenly there’s a sense of danger & trouble in the air… we know something is wrong or is about to go wrong before we’re even aware of what it might be… because of him & the environment QT creates, those first 30 minutes of the film are just as suspenseful as some of the greatest thrillers I’ve seen, with the tension building for the rest of the film towards the film’s explosive ending. At times, Landa can come off as sort of an “exaggerated N*zi villain” you’d see in some films, but instead of it turning him into an unbelievable caricature, it makes him all the more terrifying… you never really know what he’s feeling - when he laughs or smiles, he could be planning a murder in his head. If that isn’t an excellent villain (& proof of QT’s talents in terms of writing & directing), I don’t know what is. And he’s just one of the amazing characters in the film, with the other standout being Mélanie Laurent as Shoshanna, a character that stands for so much in this film.
However, I can’t say I don’t have mixed feelings about the film’s ending. My problems with the ending emerged when I watched the film for the second time this year, despite me loving the ending entirely the first time around. I can’t talk about it without spoiling the film for those who haven’t seen it, so I have a small section with a spoiler tag where I discuss it, but what I will say here is that I usually don’t mind when Tarantino (or other directors/writers) “change history” in their narrative fictional films (i.e. those not intended to tell/adapt a true story) because it’s not their intention to do so, & I think the way QT did that here is even greater than how he did it in OUATIH…
SPOILER SECTION!! ⚠️⚠️ As I said, my (slight) problems with the ending emerged when I watched the film for the second time this year, despite me loving the ending entirely the first time around. Even though it seemed obvious that she wouldn’t, a part of me really wanted Shoshanna to survive. It would’ve been really cool to see her emerge as a known hero of the story along with the B*sterds, she deserved to witness her revenge play out entirely, & she deserved to kill Landa… I don’t think his ending was satisfying enough. He deserved more than what he got. But seeing Hitler & a bunch of N*zis get killed at the hands of Jewish rebels? Yeah, that was epic.
Still, Inglorious B****** remains my current favorite Tarantino film for all the fun, action, & glory it has to offer, as well as the brilliance of Landa & Shoshanna’s characters, it's another QT film I'd consider a must-watch for any movie fan, & I think it might be his best & most mature work to date. - 9.3/10⭐️









