Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Tarantino misspelled the title on purpose, staged a war movie like a spaghetti western, and then gave the squad the movie is named after surprisingly little to do. Most of the 153 minutes belongs to Hans Landa and Shosanna, and that’s the right call. Christoph Waltz plays Landa as a polite man with a pen and a pipe who is scarier than any explosion, and the opening farmhouse scene is one long held breath. Mélanie Laurent gives Shosanna a quiet, steady anger that the film takes completely seriously. The weakness is the talking. Some chapters stretch a single conversation past the point of tension and into the point of checking the clock, and Brad Pitt’s Aldo is more accent than character. The tavern basement scene is the exception, a slow fuse that never lets up. It made $321.5 million worldwide on a reported $70 million budget. An 8.7 because the suspense is masterful even when the pacing isn’t. $708 says you look up Christoph Waltz’s other movies before the night is over.

What works: Christoph Waltz’s Landa, the opening farmhouse scene, Mélanie Laurent’s Shosanna and suspense built almost entirely out of conversation.

What doesn’t: Several chapters stretch one conversation well past its tension, and the Basterds themselves get less screen time and depth than the title promises.

Who it’s for: Viewers who love slow-burn suspense and can handle a long, talky war film with sudden bursts of violence.