I usually try not to review a film just after viewing it (especially a Tarantino film) as I like to really absorb the experience and think about what I've just seen. This is an exception. I've anticipated this film experience since reading the script online about a year ago. Is it Tarantino's greatest work? No. Is it a noteworthy addition to his library? Most definitively yes. During World War II a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers. That is the basic plot...but "The Dirty Dozen" its not. It is a genuine Tarantino film filled with his wonderful dialogue and "pop" references as well as classic movie cues (mostly from classic Ennio Morricone scores) including my personal favorite "The Green Leaves Of Summer" from John Wayne's "The Alamo" as its title tune. The main reason to RUN to see this film is the remarkable performance by German actor Christoph Waltz. If you buy a ticket and watch the first 22 minutes of the picture to see his "interrogation scene" with the french dairy farmer you can leave the theater and still say you had received your moneys worth. But don't do that. Then you would miss the wonderful performances of Diane Kruger, Til Schweiger and the incredible Melanie Laurent. Not to mention Brad Pitt's remarkable "Italian". I don't know why Universal is marketing this film as if it was "The Dirty Dozen" or "The Devil's Brigade". It is not those films. If you are a Tarantino fan or a REAL movie fan you will probably love it. If not...well I'm sure AMC is re-running "The Dirty Dozen" again tonight. ***1/2
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