Overview
A gripping tale of revenge and justice during a tumultuous time in history.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- sardonic
- tense
- visceral
- war movie night
- tarantino marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's audacious revisionist premise, sharply written dialogue, performances, and Tarantino's sustained tension, while some found its length and episodic structure excessive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film reframes the final phase of Nazi-occupied France through an explicitly counterfactual revenge plot.
The opening farmhouse interrogation and theater conversations turn multilingual politeness into escalating danger.
Shosanna's theater and the Nazi premiere become the central instruments of resistance and retaliation.
Shosanna and Aldo Raine's fighters are united by retaliatory violence against Nazi perpetrators.
Films like Inglourious Basterds, and why
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
shares stylized alternate history, anti-fascist revenge, irreverent humor, and bursts of brutal violence
The Dirty Dozen
shares revisionist World War II history, pulpy action, political violence, and heightened genre filmmaking
Where Eagles Dare
shares revenge-driven anti-fascist warfare, ensemble combatants, and grim black humor
Pulp Fiction
shares nonlinear tension-building conversations, criminalized violence, and sharply stylized dialogue
Movie Details
- Director
- Quentin Tarantino
- Release Date
- 2009-08-02
- Runtime
- 153 min
- Rating
- 8.2 / 10 (24843)
Cast
- Brad Pitt
- Mélanie Laurent
- Christoph Waltz
- Eli Roth
- Michael Fassbender
- Diane Kruger
- Daniel Brühl
- Til Schweiger
- Gedeon Burkhard
- Jacky Ido
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Inglourious Basterds about?
- A multilingual revenge epic turns Nazi-occupied France, guerrilla warfare, and a movie premiere into Quentin Tarantino’s gleefully revisionist World War II spectacle.
- What is Inglourious Basterds like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Inglourious Basterds as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Inglourious Basterds violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Inglourious Basterds as graphic.
- What did critics think of Inglourious Basterds?
- Critics broadly praised the film's audacious revisionist premise, sharply written dialogue, performances, and Tarantino's sustained tension, while some found its length and episodic structure excessive.
- Which films are like Inglourious Basterds?
- Films with a similar feel include Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles Dare, and Pulp Fiction.
- How long is Inglourious Basterds?
- Inglourious Basterds runs 153 minutes.
- Where can I watch Inglourious Basterds?
- In United States, Inglourious Basterds streams on Hulu.
