Inglourious Basterds (2009)
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Two converging plots to assassinate Nazi Germany's leadership at a Paris cinema collide in an alternate history narrative.
The story
In 1941, the film presents an alternate history where two separate plots converge to assassinate the leadership of Nazi Germany at a cinema in Paris. One plot involves a British operation carried out by a team of Jewish American soldiers known as the 'Basterds,' led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine. The other plot is orchestrated by Shosanna Dreyfus, a French Jewish cinema proprietor seeking to avenge her murdered family. Both groups are pitted against Hans Landa, a notorious SS colonel with a fearsome reputation. The narrative weaves these two paths together as they move toward a high-stakes confrontation in occupied France.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1941, SS Colonel Hans Landa identifies a hidden Jewish family and allows only young Shosanna to escape. Years later, Aldo Raine leads the 'Basterds,' a commando unit of Jewish American soldiers, through occupied France to kill and scalp Nazis. Simultaneously, Shosanna operates a cinema in Paris under an alias. She conspires with her lover to destroy a Nazi propaganda film's premiere by blowing up the theater with flammable nitrate films. A British officer, Archie Hicox, is also sent to the premiere to eliminate high-ranking Nazi officials. The plot thickens as Landa, who is fluent in multiple languages, manages to identify and isolate various threats. During the premiere, Shosanna and her accomplice attempt to ignite the theater, while the Basterds infiltrate the building with explosives. In the chaos, the Nazi leadership is targeted. The film concludes with a confrontation between Raine and Landa, where Raine carves a swastika into Landa's forehead as a permanent mark of his identity.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 153
- Production countries
- United States; Germany
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Quentin Tarantino
- Writers
- Quentin Tarantino · writer
- Cast and characters
- Brad Pitt · Aldo Raine; Christoph Waltz · Hans Landa; Michael Fassbender · Archie Hicox; Eli Roth · Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz; Diane Kruger · Bridget von Hammersmark; Daniel Brühl · Fredrick Zoller; Mélanie Laurent · Shosanna Dreyfus
- Genres
- war; action
- Themes
- revenge; anti-fascism
- Tone and mood
- violent; unrestrained
- Premise and plot tags
- alternate history; war; assassination
- Source material / true-story basis
- The title was inspired by Italian director Enzo G. Castellari's 1978 Euro War film The Inglorious Bastards.
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success and received critical acclaim, particularly for Christoph Waltz's performance, though it faced some criticism regarding its historical liberties and portrayal of Jewish characters.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · scale: percentage · review count: 332; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor · Cannes Film Festival · win; Best Supporting Actor · Academy Award · win; Best Supporting Actor · BAFTA Award · win; Best Supporting Actor · Critics' Choice Award · win; Best Supporting Actor · Golden Globe Award · win; Best Picture · Academy Award · nomination; Best Director · Academy Award · nomination; Best Original Screenplay · Academy Award · nomination
- Production trivia
- The title was intentionally misspelled as a 'Basquiat-esque touch'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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