Inglourious Basterds

Unrestrained, sensational revenge story concerns two separate attempts to bring down the Nazis in an alternate history during WWII. Dual heroic missions, masterfully woven together, slowly build until both story lines intersect in a beautifully constructed finale that is a tour de force. Director Quentin Tarantino is at the top of his game here, having fun with the twists and turns of the story, his own self-described “spaghetti western” of sorts. Lengthy film is admittedly beset with several protracted scenes that could have been edited and occasional uneven shifts in tone, but overall a rousing adventure that is nothing less than enthralling. Austrian actor Christoph Waltz is a revelation as “Jew Hunter”, Col. Hans Landa.