Inglourious Basterds is a Tarantino film through and through. But to call it that is actually a bit of a slight to Tarantino himself. The filmmaker has carved out a highly recognizable but only marginally commercial niche as a director of extremes. Extreme violence, wit and recklessness are always prominent trademarks of his films, and while Basterds certainly is no different in that regard, it is most assuredly different in that it's the first movie of his artistic maturation.

We've all been looking forward to a Tarantino war film. Imagine the possibilities. Like a kid in a candy store... for both him and us. But if you're expecting a balls-to-the-wall, slaughter-everything-in-sight action film, or a Brad Pitt star piece, look elsewhere. Inglourious Basterds is a dark comedy and a talky drama that puts a refreshing spin on what we know of the genre. It's all Tarantino, all the time with its ever-changing gelatinous conglomeration of sounds, ideas, and emotions - but it's really nothing like any war film we've seen.

The World War II revenge fantasy flick unfolds via five distinct chapters, each unique in style and energy. In one thread, Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, a country hick who leads a group of Jewish American GIs on a mission of brutal savagery and wanton ruthlessness designed to strike fear in the hearts of Nazi soldiers. The "basterds" as they're known, beat their prisoners with baseball bats before cutting the scalps from their heads. Mutilated bodies are left behind as gruesome sentinels. The lucky few who survive are purposefully spared, but not before receiving a lifelong reminder of their Nazi affiliation in the form of a custom-carved swastika in the middle of the forehead.

Despite what we know from the smartly contrived marketing campaign, this Pitt plotline is not the most important element of the film, nor is Pitt's performance the most memorable. He finds the humor and buoyancy in his character, but never touches on the depth and bearing displayed by others. It doesn't matter though, as his Lt. Raine is meant to be the comic relief to counterbalance the film's prevailing viciousness. And as that, both Pitt and his character are extremely effective. As he did in last year's Burn After Reading, Pitt manages to make a hammy, over-the-top performance feel, well... not hammy or over-the-top.

In a parallel story that plays out like a Sergio Leone spaghetti western, we meet German Col. Hans Landa, a.k.a "The Jew Hunter," played wonderfully by Christoph Waltz, who visits a sleepy German-occupied French farm where he suspects Jews are being hidden. Over the next 20 minutes or so, we experience a scene that illustrates the nimbleness of Tarantino's pen and also sets the tone for the remainder of the film. The dialogue-driven scene is a duel of wits that raises the level of intensity with little more than discourse and facial expressions. We're glued to our seats, expecting a hail of gunfire and a bath of blood, but the scene ends with a young Jewish girl fleeing through the countryside. We sense we'll see her again.

In the next chapter we meet Shosanna (Melanie Laurent), a dignified cinema-owner who is unwillingly preparing to host Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) and the premier of his morale-building epic film Nation's Pride. The fuehrer himself is also expected to be in attendance. Because Shosanna is hiding her identity from the Nazis, her role is mostly internal, but we sense the girl's intense emotion and inner turmoil through the French actress's brilliant performance.

A couple of other storylines involve various tales of French resistance, British espionage, and clandestine plots designed to annihilate the Nazi high command at the movie premier... and effectively end the war. When all these threads eventually intersect, they do so in explosive fashion. A common denominator running through all five chapters is Col. Landa. Waltz embodies the persona of this officer perfectly. Our perception of the Gestapo as boisterous, jack-booted thugs is probably mostly inaccurate. They were more than likely as Waltz portrays his Landa, gentlemanly, debonair and Europeanly sophisticated on the surface, but deadly ruthless and despicable underneath. Waltz is largely unknown here in the states, but this performance by the German actor is likely to be his breakout introduction to mainstream Hollywood. It's not easy to upstage Brad Pitt, especially in such a hammy role, but Waltz certainly does that here... and in no fewer than 3 different languages!

Inglourious Basterds is a funny film. It's also bloody and offensive. But most of all, it's an extremely sad movie sure to make us all stop down and contemplate a fog of conflicting thoughts and emotions. In a testament to Tarantino's brilliant writing, the film's 2-hour plus runtime never drags, in spite of the fact that it's made up of mostly dialogue. Inglourious Basterds is undoubtedly Tarantino's best work since Pulp Fiction, and time will tell if it becomes his best piece of art to date.

4K Ultra HD

Home Video Distributor: Arrow Films
Available on Blu-ray - January 14, 2025
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: Upscaled 4K; HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

One of the most celebrated filmmakers of our time harnesses the power of cinema itself to rewrite history in this electrifying WWII thriller. Narrowly escaping the massacre of her entire family by the SS, Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) flees to Paris and forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Meanwhile, a guerilla band of Jewish-American soldiers known as The Basterds led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), are waging a bloody war of attrition behind enemy lines but Europe remains beneath Nazi bootheels. Believing themselves unstoppable, the leaders of the Third Reich assemble in Paris for the premiere of propaganda epic Nation's Pride. The location? Shosanna's cinema. With all the rotten eggs in one basket, The Basterds join forces with British Commando Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) and German film star/undercover allied agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) to infiltrate the premiere. Their plan? Blow up the basket... Brim-filled with shocking violence, thrilling action and excruciating suspense, Inglourious Basterds was a box office smash around the world garnering eight Academy Award (2009) nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay, with Christoph Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor for his star-making turn as the chilling SS Col. Hans Landa. Witness the war as it might have been in stunning 4K Ultra HD, packed with explosive extras!

VIDEO

Inglourious Basterds is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with 5.1 sound.   The film was shot by cinematographer Robert Richardson on 35mm photochemical film (Kodak Vision2 200T 5217 and Vision3 500T 5219) using Arriflex 435 and Panavision Panaflex Millenium cameras and Panavision Primo, G-Series, ATZ, AWZ2, and Cooke anamorphic and spherical lenses; finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate; and framed at the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The 1080p / 4K HDR10 feature master was supplied by NBC Universal.  Okay, so this is a duplicate of what has been released before; however, Arrow Video’s handling of said material is beyond expectations.  So - obviously - you are double-dipping for the packaging alone.  There are zero deficits in this transfer.  Everything is rippled with explicit details, a great color, and eye-popping atmospheres throughout.

AUDIO

The English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio (the latter a new addition by Arrow), with optional subtitles in English SDH.  This remains a solid and immersive track that requires no need for an upgrade.  Everything kicks hard.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• See below for details

Special Features:

Fans get three art cards, a recipe card for “Chez Maurice: Apple Strudel,” a Nation’s Pride premiere programme booklet replica, and a double-sided poster and insert featuring new artwork on the front and the original theatrical artwork on the reverse. There is also a La Louisiane Tavern beermat (or coaster) and a 60-page Films & Filmmakers booklet containing cast and crew information, the essay Revenge of the Giant Face: Talking Inglourious Basterds by Dennis Cozzalio and Bill Ryan, presentation details, a set of production credits, and special thanks. Witness the war as it might have been in stunning 4K Ultra HD, packed with explosive extras!

DISC ONE: UHD (FILM)

• Audio Commentary by Tim Lucas

DISC TWO: BD (EXTRAS)

• WWSD: What. Would. Sally. Do? – Fred Raskin on Cutting Tarantino (HD – 11:09)
• Doomstruck: Confessions of a Basterd (HD – 11:24)
• Blood Fiction: Special Makeup Effects Supervisor Greg Nicotero on Inglourious Basterds (HD – 22:14)
• Making It Right: The Kindness of Quentin Tarantino (HD – 22:04)
• Film History on Fire (HD – 19:49)
• Filmmaking in Occupied France (HD – 15:42)
• Roundtable Discussion (SD – 30:47)
• With Audio Track 1 (Upscaled SD – 6:13)
• With Audio Track 2 (Upscaled SD – 6:13)
• The Making of Nation’s Pride (SD – 4:02)
• The Original Inglorious Bastards (SD – 7:41)
• A Conversation With Rod Taylor (SD – 6:45)
• Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitter (SD – 3:21)
• Quentin Tarantino’s Camera Angel (Upscaled SD – 2:44)
• Hi Sallys (SD – 2:11)
• Extended and Alternate Scenes:
• Lunch With Goebbels – Extended Version (HD – 7:12)
• La Louisiane Card Game – Extended Version (HD – 2:09)
• Nation’s Pride Begins – Alternate Version (HD – 2:06)
• Film Poster Gallery Tour With Elvis Mitchell (SD – 11:02)
• Teaser Trailer (HD – 1:47)
• Domestic Trailer (HD – 2:25)
• International Trailer (HD – 2:10)
• Japanese Trailer (HD – 1:19)

	Movie
	Video
	Audio
	Extras
Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 153 mins
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Brad Pitt; Diane Kruger; Eli Roth
Genre: War | Military
Tagline: Once upon a time in Nazi occupied France...
Memorable Movie Quote: "Yeah, in a basement. You know, fightin' in a basement offers a lot of difficulties. Number one being, you're fightin' in a basement!"
Theatrical Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Official Site: https://www.arrowvideo.com/4k/inglourious-basterds-limited-edition-4k-uhd/15743224.html
Release Date: August 21, 2009
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: January 14, 2025.
Synopsis: In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.