Yeah. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor is not the subtitle for this movie, but if you ask me, that's what it should be called. It's only because someone dies in this movie every 15 minutes. Okay, that might not be true, but it sure feels like it. Seriously. People die in this movie. A lot. But that should come as no surprise right? After all, Inglourious Basterds is a Nazi period movie. Isn't that the staple of this genre?

That very stereotype is the very reason that I put off seeing this movie. I have to admit, I don't have a penchant for holocaust period films. In fact, they always rub me the wrong way. Sure, you might think that sounds harsh, but I have a hard time connecting with them. Maybe I'm too jaded from years of being desensitized from the horrors of the holocaust. Don't get me wrong, it is a terrible thing, but for some reason, films in this period don't click for me.

But Inglourious Basterds is not your typical holocaust film, more or less your typical film for that matter. I should have given Quentin Tarantino more credit than that. Inglourious Basterds takes place in an alternate history. This makes the stakes very real. Anyone can die in this universe, including Hitler himself. The movie, in a nutshell, is about a plot to take down Hitler. But there is a lot more going on in this film than that.

In fact, this movie loves tangents and breaking off from the main plot. Whole chapters are devoted to exploring this alternate history, having nothing to do with the main plot per se. This is not a bad thing, and in fact, it does a great job of helping make the characters rich and dynamic.

With that said, the performances in this movie are kind of hit and miss. It's unfortunate to say that Brad Pitt is the low point of this movie. I don't think he was a good fit for the role that he played and it could have been better served by having someone with less star power play that part. I think it honestly would have made the character stand out more. But what does stand out from this film is Christoph Waltz. For playing a Nazi, he makes the character likable and you find yourself growing attached. I'm rooting for the guy come Oscar season because he really did a bang up job.

It's important to keep in mind that this is a Quentin Tarantino movie and with that comes all of the usual stylistic choices. Some people are driven mad by these things and others love them. I found them to be a bit distracting from the film as a whole. In a movie like Kill Bill, the off of the wall stylistic choices made sense, but in Inglourious Basterds, they seem almost forced. It's like the stylish bits were in there because Quentin is obligated to have them.

The story was very interesting and pretty intense considering that most of the movie is just large pieces of conversation. There's a subtle tension that exists in every conversation and it is something that is highlighted well. This movie is a definite slow burn, but I feel like the slow burn almost wasn't worth it in this case. The pay off didn't really work for me, but I can understand that if you enjoyed the ending, that the rest of the movie would make it feel worth it.

As Oscar season comes around, I can see why people are putting it on their best picture list, but there were still better movies out there this year. It's still a pretty decent watch; it just didn't connect with me. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5.