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Parents' Guide to

Inglourious Basterds

By James Rocchi, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Tarantino's World War II epic is both bloody and talky.

Movie R 2009 152 minutes
Inglourious Basterds Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 15+

Based on 52 parent reviews

rtgfc T.
rtgfc T. Adult
November 16, 2022
age 15+

This title has:

Too much violence
BlitzGuy20
BlitzGuy20 Parent of 9-year-old
April 8, 2022
age 14+

Brutally violent “what if…” story holds a special place in my heart

Inglourious Basterds (2009) follows a brutal team of Jewish U.S soldiers, an escaped Jewish woman and another team of elites forming together to serve justice, and kill Nazi’s. Throughout, expect tons of graphic violence, language and brief comical sex. VIOLENCE: SEVERE Brutally violent, graphic and gory violence throughout includes: Nazi soldiers being graphically scalped in up-close shots all throughout the film. A man has his head brutally bashed in with a bat until it splashes out blood. A man is briefly shown having his throat slit, the same goes with several other methods of killing like stabbing to the head through a pillow, a man is suffocated due to his killer sticking his hands into his mouth, a man is strangled with a wire. Soldiers are shown being shot and killed throughout the film, blood gratuitously sprays everywhere leaving bloody bullet holes and tons of surface damage, these are shots to the head, chest, legs, testicles, face, etc. and are all quite cartoonish in nature, but this only applies to shootings. A women is violently strangled to death, this is very graphic an disturbing due to how viscous the killing is. Hitler is shot to pieces by several men, his head is shown blasting apart into pieces and skin pieces along with blood spray everywhere, once again, quite cartoonish and a little goofy. A theater filled with hundreds of Nazi’s is shot up, blood sprays abundantly throughout the entire theater as fire erupts, bombs explode and the scene is a complete blood bath. A man is briefly shown being whipped in a flashback. A woman, who was shot in the leg, is tortured when a man sticks his finger into her leg, the wound is very bloody, but the finger doesn’t go deep enough in for the scene to be considered graphic. A Nazi has a swastika carved deep into his head, this is fully onscreen with graphic, bloody slices and cuts through his head shown as he screams in pain, grasps the ground and squirms from the torture. LANGUAGE: MODERATE Less than 22 uses of “f*ck”, use of “sh*t”, “b*tch”, “slut”, “negro”, “hell”, “damn” and “ass”. Tame in comparison to most Tarantino films, however the language is still rather strong at times. SEXUAL CONTENT: MILD A brief sex scene showing no nudity, but intense thrusting and screaming for around 4 seconds. Shown from a non-graphic angle, fully clothed. Some mildly suggestive references. OVERALL: 14+ for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 52 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Set in 1944, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS follows two parallel stories that quickly converge. In the first, an American group of Jewish soldiers called "The Basterds," led by hard-bitten Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), carries out terror attacks against German troops in occupied France. Meanwhile, in Paris, a theater owner (Melanie Laurent) is approached by a heroic soldier (Daniel Bruhl) to host the French premiere of his propaganda film; what he doesn't know is that she, hiding her Jewish roots to keep safe, is also part of the resistance. As the American Basterds, the French resistance, and the German high command converge on the theater, it's going to be a premiere everyone will remember ... if they survive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (52 ):
Kids say (115 ):

Bizarre, bold, and bloody, there's no denying that Inglourious Basterds has all the vim, vigor, and excitement of Quentin Tarantino's other films. Detractors will call it an empty exercise in style over substance, and they won't be entirely wrong. But it's also a glorious exercise in style over substance -- a Valentine to the very acts of moviemaking and moviegoing, with the Nazi high command wiped out in spectacular fashion in a movie theater as the action playing out up on the screen begins to pale in comparison to what happens inside the theater.

Tarantino has said that the film is his fantasy of "how cinema can save the world," and while that's a naive sentiment, it's one that's played for action and laughs here. Pitt gives a blood-soaked comedic performance as the grunting, grim Raine, and he's matched by Christoph Walltz's Col. Hans Landa on the Nazi side. Featuring long, loopy conversations punctuated by brief bursts of bloody violence before culminating in a incendiary -- in every sense of the word -- finale, Inglourious Basterds ultimately has to be enjoyed as a piece of pure moviemaking energy. Fans waiting for Tarantino to make a film with the moral and artistic complexity of Jackie Brown or even Pulp Fiction will be disappointed, but those who know what they're in for won't be let down.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. What's the impact of the brutal scenes? Does it make the violence feel surreal or more honest and authentic?

  • Are there limits on what soliders will and won't (or can and can't) do in the heat of the moment during wartime? Do soliders who participate in a genocide like that of the Nazis against the Jews deserve any mercy?

  • What does the movie say about the role of filmmaking, press/public relations, and storytelling as part of war? What role does film have in wartime? How can it be manipulated to meet those ends?

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