To start with, I think that the title is misleading as it implies that the movie is about Brad Pitt and its team. It isn’t, yet the title is still not incorrect. It isn’t just Pitt’s posse who are the bastards, it’s all of the characters. Every single main character in this movie is totally irredeemable. The only possible exception is Diane Kruger’s character, but her fate in the movie establishes her as the exception that proves the rule.
Speaking of which, I know that it’s been said elsewhere and I’m going to join the chorus right now: Christoph Waltz earned that Oscar with every day he spent on set. Any actor who can fluently speak four languages in a single film, maintaining a consistent character throughout, deserves all the gold and glamor that Hollywood can give. What’s even more impressive is that he really is the main character. This movie tells two completely different stories — that of Shosanna Dreyfuss and that of Aldo Raine — and it’s Hans Landa who carries us from one to the other. He gets the lion’s share of screen time in this movie and he never becomes anything less than captivating to watch, even though Landa is a murdering douchebag sack of treacherous shit.
As for our other main characters, it was absolutely criminal that Melanie Laurent didn’t get an Oscar nod. Her role required a very special mix of strength with vulnerability, and she nailed it with every second of screen time. Besides, the camera just loves her. Regarding Brad Pitt, I thought he was just a hoot. Pitt took every line he was given and turned it into badass comedy gold.
On another note, it’s rather funny how film plays such a big part in this movie. The meet-cute between Shosanna and her love interest is just two people talking about movies much as any of us would do to break the ice. A rather large section of the movie involves King Kong trivia. The timing of the climax revolves around activities that go on in a projection booth just like any other, even to this day. And what is it that blows up the theater? A pile of antique films.
Tarantino used a few too many close-ups for my liking, though the lighting was quite good. Similarly, the music seemed a bit too loud and on-the-nose, though his use of silence in the score was wonderfully effective. Of course, the usual rules of Tarantino movies apply, so keep an eye out for foot shots.
All in all, I thought that this was a wonderfully scripted and superbly acted movie with great suspense and comedy relief punctuated by effective bursts of ultra-violence.