Inglourious Basterds
NZ release: 20 August 2009
Violence & offensive language Rated on: 28 July 2009
What’s it about?
Inglourious Basterds is a World War II story about a group of Jewish-American soldiers, known as the "Basterds," who plan to take down the Nazi leadership. Meanwhile, a young Jewish woman in Nazi-occupied France plots her own revenge. Their stories intertwine in a bold and unconventional tale of resistance and retribution.
The facts
- Directed by Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained and From Dusk Till Dawn)
- Starring Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Mélanie Laurent (Now You See Me), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), and Diane Kruger (National Treasure) English, German, French, and Italian languages
- Runtime: 154 minutes
Why did it get this rating?
This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.
Violence
This film contains strong and realistic violence at several points throughout the film. Examples include suffocation, being shot, scalps cut off, throats slit, and backs whipped. The violence is very frequent and gruesome.
The strongest scenes of violence include:
- A character's throat is slit, and we see his neck open with lots of blood spilling out.
- A family is shot while hiding under the floorboards. We don’t see their bodies, but one member survives and runs away covered in blood, crying.
- A character beats another to death with a baseball bat until his head explodes.
- A character strangles a woman to death. We see her struggle for air as her face turns red. The scene is drawn out.
- A building full of people is burned down. You can hear them screaming and the ones who attempt to escape are shot.
- A character has a swastika cut and carved into his forehead. He screams in extreme agony as a huge amount of blood pours out from the open wound.
- Near the end of the film, two characters with dynamite strapped to their legs blow up an entire building full of people.
Offensive language
The film contains frequent offensive language. The word “f*ck” is used frequently throughout the film, as well as the occasional use of words like “sl*t.”
The term "Negro” is said in multiple different languages at different points throughout the film.
Sex scenes
There is one brief scene where a Nazi officer is having sex with his translator. There is no nudity, but the man is groaning very aggressively, and he can be seen thrusting from her behind.
When content stays with you:
We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.
