Retrospective Film Review

Inglourious Basterds (2009) • 15 Years Later — technically brilliant but emotionally vacuous

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.

As far as opening scenes go, Inglourious Basterds couldn’t aim any higher for perfection. Its 20-minute opening sequence is a masterclass in tension, starting with a picturesque, pastoral landscape in rural France. A farmer, Perrier (Denis Ménochet), sweat-stained from a long day’s work, watches on as SS vehicles gradually approach his simple yet elegant home atop a hill. But his exertion has only just begun, as he finds himself caught in a standoff with the incredibly intimidating Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), an SS official who has been tasked with finding Jewish people in hiding in France.

Landa, who takes pride in his unofficial nickname of ‘The Jew Hunter’, immediately takes control of the interaction and commands the attention of…