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Brad Pitt’s Inglourious Basterds is making its way to Netflix on September 1, and that means one of the greatest war movies of the century is about to reach an even bigger audience. The film was released in 2009, and it tells a World War II revenge story through a series of loosely connected vignettes. The main plot follows a group of Jewish-American soldiers led by Pitt’s Aldo Raine, who are on a mission to kill as many Nazis as they can. At the same time, a young French cinema owner is quietly plotting her own years-long revenge after Nazis murdered her family when she was just a little girl.

Christoph Waltz‘s villain in the Nazi-revenge film, Inglourious Basterds, is so unnervingly sadistic that it’s easy to miss one of his most disturbing acts in the process. The scene in question involves zero words and one strudel, but the damage done to the tradition and psyche of Jewish culture in that single frame is immeasurable due to the character’s subtle yet brutal disregard of the Torah.

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Born from the brilliantly twisted mind of Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds is filled with scenes that make the movie so layered and endlessly rewatchable. But even despite the evil that lurks throughout the movie, Hans Landa simply manages to stand out, whether he is munching on pastries, asking for a glass of milk, or hunting down Jewish girls in the countryside.

Quentin Tarantino Hid a Subtle Fact in Inglourious Basterds...

Quentin Tarantino is known to have a knack for writing the most singularly unique characters and imbuing them with a background arc and a story that unravels over the course of a movie. Hans Landa was one such character who was created by the writer-director and subsequently made immortal by Oscar-winning actor Christoph Waltz in his villainous arc on Inglourious Basterds.

Now it seems as though Waltz’s arc was not a one-and-done deal for the movie industry. A role as great as Landa’s is wasted in the past, and The Bad Guys 2 director Pierre Perifel knew exactly how to bring his menacing personality back without offending the purists and Tarantino fans.

The Bad Guys 2 Star Took Inspiration From the Worst Guy Ever in Quentin Tarantino’s Film Universe Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds (2009) [Credit: Universal Pictures]

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds came out 16 years ago,...

Quentin Tarantino’s Movies Ranked By Global Box Office ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia; Netflix )

Quentin Tarantino has consistently demonstrated that independent filmmaking can achieve significant commercial success while maintaining artistic integrity without obliging to studio demands and McU-like franchise formats. The auteur filmmaker has largely influenced contemporary cinema as a proponent of distinctive voices, establishing that their originality can compete within the global marketplace.

Tarantino’s amalgamation of violence, dialogue, and nonlinear storytelling has led to a filmography that spans over three decades, with each release generating significant cultural impact and commercial success. Here’s a comprehensive ranking of all Quentin Tarantino’s theatrical releases based on worldwide box office performance.

1. Django Unchained (2012) Worldwide Gross: $426 Million Rotten Score: 87% Streaming On: Netflix

Plot: This revisionist history is set during American Civil War and sees a freed slave teaming with a German bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in the antebellum South.

Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Played Hans Landa ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Quentin Tarantino delivered something sharp and unpredictable with Inglourious Basterds. After the blood-soaked frenzy of Kill Bill and the grindhouse style of Death Proof, this World War II tale felt like a shift, not only for himself, but to his fans as well.

The movie still had his signature energy, but there was more precision to it. A group of soldiers led by Aldo Raine slicing through the Nazi ranks, and a young Jewish woman named Shosanna setting fire to revenge using cinema itself sounds like Tarantino was having fun with history.

Leonardo DiCaprio Was Nearly Cast As Hans Landa

The 2009 Tarantino classic eventually became a hit, but the path to it wasn’t smooth. Tarantino spent years shaping the story, sometimes even thinking about turning it into a TV series. But, along the way, casting plans changed, and some of...

It’s hard to state which movie singularly defined Quentin Tarantino’s career, given the director's exceptional career at producing cinematic splendor, to say one film defined it is like saying a single ant defines the colony. Up until 2012’s Django Unchained was released, Tarantino’s highest-earning film was 2009’s Inglourious Basterds.

Now the war film stands as his third-highest rated and his third-highest earner. Considered one of the best war movies, whose impressive cast stands up to this day, Inglourious Basterds can now be enjoyed on streaming, and it's currently available on Paramount+.

What Is The Movie About?

Inglourious Basterds follows US Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) who in the wake of Nazi Germany’s takeover of France and the merciless pursuit by Austrian SS Officer Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Infiltrating the Reich-controlled France, Raine and his commandos work behind enemy lines breaking Nazi morale whilst removing scalps from their heads.

Everything is an allusion, a pose, in the films of Quentin Tarantino, right down to the font and colors that he uses for his title sequences—even the name of his production company, A Band Apart, which arrogantly asks us to think of him as our generation’s Godard. And how willingly we indulge him says plenty. Tarantino is as much creator as curator, and his overbearing cinephilia appeals to audiences who not only lost it at the movies but can’t seem to live without them: From Reservoir Dogs to his Kill Bill diptych, his films are solipsistic totems to his favorite things, and their effect is often suffocating.

Inglourious Basterds, a WWII-set revenge fantasy about the secret and sometimes not-so-secret maneuverings of a group of gung-ho Jewish-American Nazi hunters known as the Basterds, is no less meticulously engineered than Tarantino’s other pulp fictions. Except this one is...

Did Micheal Fassbender almost mess up his role as Quentin Tarantino? ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia )

Hands down, Quentin Tarantino is an absolute legend, churning out movies that are as iconic as they are unmistakably his. From memorable characters to snappy dialogue, Tarantino’s films have a vibe, and A-listers like Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel are there to keep the magic alive.

But one standout collaboration got the fans talking: Michale Fassbender’s unforgettable role in Inglourious Bastards. Of course, Fassbender was already on the rise from his portrayal in Hunger and later blockbuster hits like X-Men: First Class and 12 Years an enslaved person. But his time with Tarantino? Absolutely one for the books, but did you know Fassbender almost blew his audition with the legend?

Michale Fassbender On Almost Blewing Quentin Tarantino’s Audition

It turns out that Michael Fassbender almost thought he had botched his shot at Inglourious Basterds.

Quentin Tarantino remains one of the most celebrated and respected directors working in Hollywood today. After he became a major name due to his breakout hit, Pulp Fiction, in 1994, he would go on to direct a handful of films that were either critically acclaimed or box office successes, or both. Tarantino movies often share a number of unique characteristics that make them instantly distinguishable, including memorable dialogue and select actors who have become regulars in his projects.

These regulars include Samuel L. Jackson, Eli Roth, Michael Madsen, and Harvey Keitel, but Fassbender is not among them. Fassbender worked steadily throughout the early 2000s, but it wasn't until later in the decade that his career really started to take off. After starring in Hunger (2008), the actor joined his first major franchise in 2011 with X-Men: First Class, in which he played a younger Magneto. Since then, he's appeared in projects like Prometheus...

Quentin Tarantino has crafted characters, some of whom have a life of their own in the minds and hearts of moviegoers. It's difficult to forget Pulp Fiction's impressive, cool, violent humor of the duo of Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield or the unrelenting vengeance of the kung-fu protg, the Bride in Kill Bill. The freed slave Django in Django Unchained is a masterclass character as well. But according to Tarantino, one character surpasses them all in complexity and intrigue: Colonel Hans Landa from Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino considers Landa not only "one of the greatest characters I have ever written," but potentially the best he'll ever create.

Like any other Quentin Tarantino movie, Inglourious Basterds has generous amounts of blood and violence, but surprisingly, one of its main characters, with a long history of violence, only kills one person on screen. After exploring the genres of crime, martial arts, and slasher, Quentin Tarantino tried something completely different and told an alternate version of historical events in Inglourious Basterds. Released in 2009, Inglourious Basterds took viewers back to World War II but in an alternate timeline, in which the Nazis fate was completely different from what history books tell.

Inglourious Basterds follows two plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler, which end up converging at the premiere of a German propaganda film. First is that of Shosanna Dreyfus (Mlanie Laurent), whose family was murdered by the men of Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), so now she plans to kill him, Hitler, and everyone else at her cinema. Then there are the Basterds,...

Jigra (which means both heart and courage) is, in equal parts, gutting and emotional but also far-fetched and logic-free. Director and co-writer Vasan Bala creates a jailbreak movie that tries to find the sweet spot between moving sibling drama, thrilling action and breathless suspense, and although he doesn’t hit all the marks, lead actor and co-producer Alia Bhatt reconfirms that she is a formidable talent.

Even when the plot becomes looser and the twists too convenient, Bhatt doesn’t miss a beat. She’s fabulously fierce as protagonist Satya, her eyes maintaining an expression of unblinking determination. She might be small physically, but when she takes down a grown man, we don’t question it because her conviction is so absolute. In one scene, another character admiringly calls her a gundi (gangster). In this environment, it’s a compliment.

Satya is unbreakable because she’s had to grow up too fast.

Jigra tells the gripping story of Satya and her fight to save her brother Ankur. Directed by Vasan Bala, it stars Alia Bhatt in a standout role as Satya, a woman with bold conviction who will stop at nothing to protect family.

The film belongs to the jailbreak thriller genre. Satya’s brother Ankur finds himself sentenced to death in the fictional country of Hanshi Dao after being framed for drug possession. As an older sister would, Satya vows to rescue Ankur from this foreign prison, wherever it may be.

Alia Bhatt brings Satya to life with layers of emotion beneath a composed surface. You feel her pain from past tragedies and fierce love for her brother. The film starts strong, drawing us into Satya and Ankur’s close bond. But later it loses some focus amid references to other films.

Still, Bhatt anchors the film, keeping us invested in Satya’s mission.

Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to leaving fans with questions, often thanks to his mind-bending movies and their riveting storylines. Having made some iconic films and features, one of Tarantino’s projects could have taken a very different route had he cast Leonardo DiCaprio as a ruthless killer. While that casting never came about, there is another mystery about the said film that remains unsolved.

Quentin Tarantino | Image by Gage Skidmore, licensed under Cc By-sa 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

One of Tarantino’s greatest films is his 2009 WWII film, Inglourious Basterds. And perhaps the greatest mystery of the film is the title’s numerous spelling errors, which Tarantino refuses to explain to this day.

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds and Its Misspelled Title

Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine in a still from Inglourious Basterds | Credit: Universal Pictures

Quentin Tarantino‘s Inglourious Basterds isn’t just known for its bold...

American films and television invariably brush up against the issue of language. Since these stories are made for mass appeal — and said mass is English-speaking audiences — the films will depict characters speaking English even if that shouldn't be the case. Take films set during Roman times like "Spartacus" or "Gladiator," which have dialogue spoken only in English, not Latin or even a closer modern stand-in like Italian.

Then there are films with characters from different countries, yet the audience hears them all speaking the same tongue. Some handle this more cleverly than others; in "The Hunt for Red October," the Soviet characters are first heard speaking Russian before a quick switch to English -- letting the audience know while they're hearing English, the characters are hearing Russian.

"Shōgun," which recently went from mini-series to a two-season renewal, makes no attempt to hold its audience's hand. Set in 1600 Japan, Lord Yoshii...

Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is based on war correspondent Damien Lewis’s book of the same name, which tells the true story of an unsanctioned British military mission to sink the German ships that supplied all of their U-boats around the Spanish island of Fernando Po during World War II. The film also makes a point of announcing that the story comes from documents from Winston Churchill’s first term in office that were declassified in 2016, introducing each shrewd and ruthlessly efficient member of the ragtag crew carrying out this mission with a litany of their qualifications.

Narratively, the film plays out like a traditional historical thriller, yet it turns these men into impossibly proficient, virtually invincible killing machines who dispose of Nazis with such casual ease that they might as well be superheroes. And not only is the leader of this vicious, unruly pack, Major Gus March-Phillips,...

Hans Landa's introduction in Inglorious Basterds is a masterclass in showcasing a villain's method and enjoyment of their own villainy. Darth Vader's introductory scene in Star Wars demonstrates the power of building up a villain through anticipation and tension. John Doe's entrance in Se7en completely shifts the narrative and keeps the audience on their toes, showcasing the twist introduction of a character.

Plenty of movie characters have had fantastic debuts, but out of all of them, these 10 character introductions in movies are the most unforgettable. The introduction of a character is arguably the most important moment in their arc, as it sets the audience's expectations of whom this person is and what they will contribute to the story. Introductions can be meek or bombastic, lovable or hateable, simple or complex. The method by which characters are introduced in movies varies depending on the needs of each story, and...

War movies rely on character-driven scenes to establish the people involved and create tension. Intense action and quieter moments need to be balanced for a personal connection to the characters. Quiet scenes are essential for emotional connection and to add depth to the plot of war movies.

While plenty of war movies feature explosive action on the battlefield, they would ultimately be meaningless without character-driven scenes to establish the people on both sides of the conflict. War movies deal with stakes that are even higher than life or death, as the fate of nations can be up in the air, and this tension can help charge some memorable scenes. Every negotiation and interrogation in a war movie carries the weight of these global ramifications, and even seemingly unimportant conversations occur against the backdrop of unseen horrors.

The best war movies know how to use intense action to heighten the quieter scenes,...

Have you ever been utterly captivated by recent movie villain roles? I know I have – there’s just something about a brilliantly portrayed antagonist that leaves you both spellbound and slightly uneasy. It’s like watching a virtuoso performance in the art of mischief and malice.

Today, we’re diving into the world of those rising stars who’ve taken on the challenge of transforming movie villain roles into unforgettable experiences.

On a Personal Note

As someone who’s spent hours immersed in cinematic worlds and fascinated by the complexities of character dynamics, I can’t wait to explore the transformative power of actors who’ve breathed new life into villainous roles.

With inspiration drawn from various sources, I’m thrilled to share a lineup of six actors who’ve redefined what it means to portray the darker side of storytelling.

So, grab your popcorn and get ready to journey...

"Inglourious Basterds" is a successful fictional World War II film that takes big swings with history, including a fictional assassination of Adolf Hitler. The character Hans Landa, played by Christoph Waltz, is a fictional creation embodying various Nazi concepts and motivations, highlighting the complexity of the film's characters. While the film's story and characters are not entirely based on true events, there were real military units, like X-Troop and the American counterpart, that consisted of Jewish soldiers and focused on intelligence gathering and infiltrating Nazi operations.

Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic takes some big swings in terms of history leading to fans wondering about the Inglourious Basterds true story and if anything in the movie is real. A fascinating, fictional assassination of Adolf Hitler, the 2009 film is one of Tarantino's most successful. Produced for $70 million, the 2009 film earned over $321 million (via Box Office Mojo) and received eight Academy Award nominations,...

The popularity of the war film is so enduring primarily because it gives audiences a chance to immerse themselves in something they otherwise would never experience. Despite the many horrors of war and the deftness with which many directors portray them, time after time, decade after decade, audiences will keep returning to see what new and inventive ways battles are portrayed on the big screen. While some entries are good from start to finish, they are nonetheless still best remembered for individual scenes and sequences that seem to truly transcend what cinema is capable of, subverting all expectations.

These scenes and sequences have evolved with the genre more widely. The First World War gave audiences moments of tragic revelation and nightmarish realism, while the Vietnam War, which spawned numerous psychedelic cinematic masterpieces in just a few short years, provided moments of vibrant color and hallucinatory madness. World War Two movies...

Great movies need great villains; screenwriters have often tried to depict the primary antagonists as powerful, psychotic, physically strong, or extremely intelligent. Such foes typically give the heroes a difficult time, with some even coming out on top, lending credence to the notion that nice guys sometimes finish last.

Over the years, there have emerged villains that not only fit most of the above descriptions but also had outsized personas. Each of their scenes was defined by exaggerations and theatricality, providing entertainment and shock value. Absurdity can sometimes be a great strength in a villain, making a bad movie watchable, and a good movie great.

Related: 10 Most Terrifying Villains From Kids' Movies

Dante Reyes (Fast X)

For actors who usually play protagonists, taking on the role of a baddie can be challenging. In Fast X, Jason Momoa outdoes himself as the vengeful son of the Rio crime kingpin, Hernan Reyes.

James Holland, a World War II historian, grades the historical accuracy of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Released in 2009, Inglourious Basterds stars Brad Pitt and Christopher Waltz, the latter of whom plays a Nazi commander charged with hunting down Jewish people throughout Europe. The film, which serves very much as an alternate history of real events, begins with a standout sequence in which Waltz's Hanz Landa interrogates a French farmer suspected of harboring a Jewish family.

In a new video from Penguin Books UK, Holland breaks down how historically accurate Inglourious Basterds' is by looking at the film's iconic opening farm house sequence. The bemused expert admits that while it is a very entertaining film, many elements are pure fiction. Check out Holland's full comment or watch the video below (section starts at 12:26):

“A friend of mine, another historian called Peter Caddick-Adams, he was asked to be a historical advisor on Inglourious Basterds.