Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Call it Pulp War Fiction--likely to divide critics, Tarantino's WWII fable interweaves little fact with much fiction, serving as a vessel for his playful, self-reflexive, postmodern commentary on a genre he knows and admires.

After some indulgent side trips (Grindhouse, Deathproof), Quentin Tarantino is back to form with this World War II fantasy fiasco. It's mad, it's bad and it's thoroughly entertaining, with some of the most disciplined storytelling Tarantino has produced.

The most glaring problem with Basterds is that, possibly for the first time Tarantino's storytelling is, barring brief flashbacks and other explanatory cutaways, more or less linear, but his narrative logic is muddled.

Tarantino tries his hand at an international ensemble with some rather 'Inglourious' results.

This unashamed slice of Second World War hokum finds Quentin Tarantino in mischievous form as he takes on the Second World War with the driving force of a roller coaster ride.

An entertaining yet uneven movie that provides comedy, drama and some interesting psychological twists and turns, but never quite delivers on that 'men on a mission' promise.

The film flits between comedy and violence, revenge and tragedy, sometimes easily, sometimes less comfortably.