In the curiously spelled Inglourious Basterds Quentin Tarantino once again delivers his usual fare. Movie references? Check. Clever dialogue? Check. And perhaps most importantly, graphic gun-on-gun violence? Check. But while he stuck to his Tarantino-isms, the famed director has lived up to the hype and made a movie that’s packed with action, intrigue, and a heavy dose of comedy.

Set during World War II in Nazi-occupied France, the plotline pits vengeful Jews against the oppressive German regime. The first Nazi killin’ conspiracy involves Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and his team of Jewish-American “basterds,” whose sole mission is to brutally scalp and assassinate as many Nazis as possible (100 scalps a piece, to be exact). The most infamous “basterd” of all, “the Bear Jew,” gleefully bludgeons his opponents to death with a baseball bat. In typical Tarantino fashion, the film showcases the bloody details in all of their splattered glory.

Meanwhile, Shoshanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) also devises a plan of attack. After witnessing her family’s brutal murder at the hands of the “Jew Hunter” Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), Shoshanna flees to Paris under a fake identity and begins to run a cinema. At the insistence of smitten Nazi war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl), her movie theater is selected to premiere a German propaganda film. Knowing that most of the high-ranking German officers will attend, Shoshanna decides it’s time for payback.

The tales intertwine at the premiere, where Shoshanna plans to burn down the cinema with the movie-goers locked inside. Disguised as Italian cinematographers, Raine and his posse hope to blow up the building with explosives hidden under their clothes. When the schemes collide, carefully choreographed chaos ensues.

All in all, Tarantino delivered a much-needed summer hit. Pitt’s biting one-liners and swarthy southern drawl provided the comic relief, while Waltz stole the show as the calculated and witty villain. At two and a half hours, some scenes could have been shortened, but the beautiful cinematography and standout performances will keep you in your seat.

Beer Pairing: Pay tribute to the film’s title with Arrogant Bastard Ale. This bitter beer has a strong kick and an attitude worthy of Lt. Aldo Raine himself.