Coming off the heels of watching Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, it was time for me to journey a decade into the past and watch Inglorious Basterds. There are certain categories of cinema that I find myself returning to. Quentin Tarantino films are one of those categories, along with Marvel, Star Wars, and James Bond films.

from imdb.com

Tarantino is different than those other categories of films for the obvious reason that he’s a director and those are franchise based film series. The directors for Marvel, Star Wars, and Bond movies change from film to film. Not to mention there are a world and lore already generated for those directors to work in.

Tarantino is the Kanye West of the film industry without the looney toons public persona. Kanye manages to be not only a great producer but excellent rapper, is comparable to how Tarantino is a great director but also a fantastic writer. Being highly skilled in one manner of your trade is a feat, but to be top class at two is otherworldly.

Like those film universe’s above, Tarantino’s writing and directorial style have some overlap from film to film. The cast and settings change, but every Tarantino film has his own personal zaniness to them. Inglorious Basterds is Tarantino’s first installment of what I call his reimagined history. I called Once Upon a Time in Hollywood revisionist nonfiction but I think reimagined history would be a better way to describe what Tarantino has done in some of his recent work.

Inglorious Basterds opens with a long sequence where a Frenchmen is hiding a Jewish family in his basement during Nazi occupation. Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), known warmly by his Nazi brethren as the Jew Hunter, suspects that the Frenchmen is hiding Jews in his basement. He is unfortunately correct in his assertion and has them all killed except for one daughter who escapes.

The daughter we discover is Shoshanna, who ends up owning a movie theatre that the Third Reich plans to host a debut film at for one of their young war heroes. The soldier attempts to pursue Shoshanna romantically, and Shoshanna concealing her Jewish background suppresses his advances. Landa enters the fray recognizing Shoshanna’s true identity, which eventually comes to an explosive crescendo.

The third party in the equation follows Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and a small resistance group of Jewish-Americans, the Inglorious Basterds. In usual Tarantino fashion, it’s a lively and colorful bunch, as Pitt exudes whatever palette of badassery that Tarantino demands of him. The Americans become aware of the movie theater showing and Raine’s group is tasked with showing up and blowing everybody up.

Waltz beautifully plays his role as the film’s antagonizing force that’s one step ahead of everyone to the point where he has aspirations beyond Hitler, the Third Reich, and all the Nazis. He’s a sinister force that plays more maniacally than outright violently, though he proves he’s capable of violence. He deservedly took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance. The film as a whole had eight Oscar nominations.

Tarantino notoriously makes long movies, and Inglorious Basterds is no exception. I believe the opening sequence is about twenty minutes long and exists for the most part as a drawn-out conversation in a tiny shack. It’s Tarantino’s uncanny ability to write out conversations and direct scenes that build and rise into suspense that carries the viewer.

For the casual viewer, Inglorious Basterds is easier to consume than Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for the more frequent action and violence. What gives Inglorious Basterds a slight edge is its story having a succinct and concrete ending.