Inglourious Basterds (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray] (2009)

 Tarantino's brilliant WWII anti-Nazi fantasy dares you to look away

Quentin Tarantino has taken his anti-Nazi fantasy to new heights with this engrossing dark comedy/fantasy that has "The Basterds" (led by BRAD PITT) out for Nazi scalps to add to an ever growing collection. But first and foremost, he has constructed a screenplay that never lets up veering between tension and laughter, and gives several members of his cast a chance at Oscar-winning performances.

Foremost among these is CHRISTOPH WALTZ who waltzes off with all of his scenes by playing the "Jew Hunter" with subtle bits of characterization that remind me of a young Conrad Veidt at the height of his powers. He never misses an opportunity to give greater depth to his character's personality quirks and sudden changes of mood that always heighten the tension. The farmhouse scene that starts the story rolling is one of the greatest pieces of sustained suspense I've ever seen any director pull, even Hitchcock.

My only quibble with the film, in fact, would be the extended bar scene in which a clever plot to trap some Nazi officers goes awry. The director could have tightened the whole sequence with a cut of some ten or more minutes.

But who's going to voice complaints when the film is fiendishly clever from start to finish, and so well executed that you leave the theater after being spellbound for the duration of the lengthy story. All of the performances surrounding BRAD PITT and CHRISTOPH WALTZ are pitch perfect and Pitt himself is mighty amusing as the Southern lieutenant who likes to cut Swastikas into the skulls of his German foes.

DENIS MENOCHET is superb as the farmer in the film's opening scene, matching the convincing performance of CHRISTOPH WALTZ every step of the way. Not enough praise can be said for the performances Tarantino has gotten from his entire cast and that includes MELANIE LAURENT who has a key role as the only woman who manages to escape the massacre that opens the film. Her interaction with a German officer (DANIEL BRUHL) who is attracted by her is a fascinating one, especially since she has no intention of succumbing to his courteous flirtations.

This is definitely putting Tarantino's best foot forward--and if it doesn't end up with several Oscar nominations in both acting and technical categories, I'll be very surprised.

Just brilliant.

Reviewed by Neil F. Doyle