Inglourious Basterds (Blu-ray)

Inglourious Basterds ( Blu-ray )

There are very few directors out there whose work I follow almost religiously; Quentin Tarantino is one of them.  Tarantino has been working on Inglourious Basterds for the better part of a decade now, always putting it aside for other projects (Kill Bill, and Grindhouse).  After those two projects he decided to move forward with the Basterds promising the quickest turn around he’s ever done.  His goal to have the film shot and edited in 10 months and premier it at the Cannes Film Festival, and he delivered what he promised.

We previously reviewed the theatrical release of Inglourious Basterds back in August, so I won’t go too deeply into the plot of the movie.  But a majority of the film takes place in 1944 Nazi Occupied Paris, France.  And centers around the premier of a Nazi propaganda film in which the entire Nazi high command (including a special guest) is in attendance.  Brad Pitt is Lt. Aldo Raine the head of an American Military Guerrilla unit who is deep behind enemy lines with one mission and one mission only…Killing Nazi’s.  As I said in my previous review to even call this film Inglourious Basterds is a little misleading, because the Basterds aren’t even the main focus of the movie. The films main characters are actually Shoshanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent), a French Jew who happens to own the cinema that the Nazi’s are premiering their movie in, and Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz, in a movie stealing performance), the “Jew Hunter” who has his fingers in everything going on in the film.  The film is divided into five “chapters,” each more of a scene than a sequence, in which characters engage in lengthy conversations followed by a sudden bit of violence.

Inglourious Basterds is quite possibly Tarantino’s best looking movie, the 2.40:1 1080p transfer is every bit as detailed as it was in the theaters, showing off the top notch design (set and costume), and even the background graphics.  The picture is clean and sharp with very little film grain and no digital flaws.  As usual with Tarantino’s work, Inglourious Basterds is a rather dialogue-driven affair, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track serves all of the elements of the sound design (dialogue, music, and effect).  The special features are also very good, for the most part.  In place of a commentary track (which Tarantino has yet to do on his own directorial works) we get a 30 minute round table discussion with Tarantino & Brad Pitt hosted by film critic Elvis Mitchell, there is also the full length Nations Pride film (directed by Eli Roth) and a featurette on the making of Nations Pride (though it is played mainly for laughs).  There are also a few deleted scenes, and a featurette of the design of all the posters you see throughout the film.

Not everyone will adore Tarantino’s latest as much as I did.  Just know going into watching it that IT IS NOT A TYPICAL WWII FILM, if you’re looking for Saving Private Ryan this is not going to be your movie, but it comes with my highest recommendation.