Inglorious Basterds

My appeal for people to come forwards and lend me a copy of Inglorious Basterds has paid off, I was even also lent a copy of an older film by the same name (not quite the same genre though). Since putting out my appeal actor Christoph Waltz has won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in the film. Not bad for someone playing a sadistic Nazi war criminal in a film in which German soldiers are scalped for wearing the wrong uniform. Waltz is well worth the award though, he plays the character of Hans Landa (the 'Jew-hunter') with a devious glee that made it quite difficult to dislike him or what he represents.

Inglorious Basterds is a revenge film, simple. It's a re-telling of history in which a group of American volunteer borderline psychotics travel to Nazi-occupied France to kill as many Nazis as they can. Leave aside any qualms you may have about the morality of slaughtering soldiers who have surrendered in wartime simply because they're on the wrong side - for this is a Tarantino film and ethics are not required.

The film actually focuses on several different but linked stories, in which various groups of people (French resistance, a Jewish cinema owner, British special forces, the eponymous 'Basterds') all plot to kill Hitler at the same time. It's all very farcical, non-historical and great fun. And although I agree that Waltz is great in his role, Michael Fasbender steals the scenes he is in as a terrifically caddish British special forces soldier.

In short, this is funny and entertaining. Just keep remembering that it comes from the same mind as the man who brought us Pulp Fiction, so try not to be too shocked when the violence goes all graphic and iky.

Also, don't expect to learn any history.