For my 1,000th user-comment on IMDb, I wanted to write about something that I not only enjoyed, but something that summed up or represented my feelings about and tastes in movies. You know, something that has my name written all over it. I considered a number of films - some bad - some good - but in the end, I decided to go with The Inglorious Bastards. Not only is it a great example of the kind of movie I go for, but I've been wanting to write something about it for a while now. And with Tarantino's re-imaging set to open this year, I definitely wanted to get my user comment written beforehand. So here it is, #1,000.

As the film opens, a group of WWII era soldiers are being transferred to a military prison to await decision on the many crimes they've committed. Murder, theft, robbery - these aren't your typical, clean-cut, all-American GIs. On the way, the MP convoy is attacked by a German plane and a band of five prisoners escapes. They immediately decide to head to neutral Switzerland and the freedom it offers. On the way, they have plenty of opportunities to kill and maim Nazis. But when they accidentally shoot a group of American paratroopers disguised as German soldiers, the Bastards decide to stand in and complete their compatriots' mission. And what a mission it is - steal a train carrying a V2 rocket.

If director Enzo G. Castellari is known for anything, it's action. And in The Inglorious Bastards, he outdoes himself. It's a testosterone injected ride from start to finish! Gun battles, explosions, vehicle wrecks, fights, falls off castle walls, motorcycle stunts - if it involves action, you'll find it here. Castellari somehow manages to keep the film well paced throughout. While the action does admittedly slow a tad in the second act, the film never bogs down and is always enjoyable. The Inglorious Bastards also features some really nice miniature work. The film's finale is especially memorable on that front. The cast is first rate. Fred "the Hammer" Williamson may be third billed, but he's the real star. Williamson's character is appropriately named Fred. Appropriate because he's pretty much playing himself - a cigar-chomping, one-line spewing, gun-toting badass. Surprising to me is that Bo Svenson is able to match Williamson scene for scene. I've never thought much of his other work that I've seen, but here, Svenson is very believable as the in control leader of the Bastards. The rest of the cast provide equally enjoyable performances. It's an excellent job by all involved.

While I can see why The Inglorious Bastards might not appeal to everyone, for me, it's a near perfect movie. I've seen some reviews nit-pick the lack of realism. Relax, this was never intended to be a documentary. It's about having a good time and enjoying yourself. Just go with it and quit being so uptight. As for those who complain about the dialogue or the editing, you're obviously not familiar with Euro movie making from the 60s and 70s. Again, just go with it. Like I said, it's almost perfect to me. In fact, I've got no problem at all rating The Inglorious Bastards a 9/10, verging on a 10/10.

So here's to 1,000 user comments. For those of you who have read and maybe even enjoyed some of what I've written, I say thanks. And look forward to more to come. On to 1,001!

Note: This movie has nothing to do with the similarly titled Tarantino film that was released this year other than the fact that they both were set during WWII and were both very fictional accounts of American soldiers on a mission.

In many ways, this film is like an impromptu Italian-produced version of THE DIRTY DOZEN. A group of American soldiers during WWII are being taken back to headquarters to face court martials for a variety of crimes. However, on the way, the caravan carrying them is attacked by the Germans and the prisoners are able to escape. Since they all are wanted for a variety of crimes (some of which might even get shot),the men make for the Swiss border. On the way, however, they become involved in a variety of fire fights and adventures--including fighting with naked Nazi babes (this sounds like a dream I had when I was 14, but this is neither the time nor place to talk about this further).

Eventually, the men manage to get mistaken for a group of commandos sent by the US to help the French resistance. Unable to escape, the men decide to pretend that they are indeed the men and decide to go with it. When the Colonel arrives, the prisoners tell him who they are and he doesn't have much choice but to accept their offer to fulfill the mission.

Overall, it's like a poor man's DIRTY DOZEN, with the action and acting a bit over the top, some very clichéd characters (such as the coward who suddenly becomes a super soldier) and not nearly as convincing as the original. Still, for a cheap knockoff, it is a good one--exciting to watch brain candy and not a film for people who think too much! So, just turn off your brains and enjoy.

Not that it really mattered, but a few mistakes made it into the film. First, there is one scene where Fred Williamson throws a grenade at a group of soldiers. If you look carefully, you can see the wire on one of the Germans as he's being pulled up--simulating being catapulted by the explosion. It's a sloppy stunt, but you have to look carefully--it's at about the 32 minute mark. The second is less a mistake and more just sloppy writing. In a castle, Fred Williamson takes an officer by surprise and holds a sword on him. The officer then orders his men to drop their weapons. It's doubtful if the soldiers would have done this but what bothered me is that none of them yelled or sounded any sort of alarm to let the other soldiers know what was happening. Duh!! A third problem was the hhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076584/usercomments-enterippie member of the group. He was an even bigger anachronism than the beatnik-like guy in KELLY'S HEROES. No one had long flowing hair back in WWII except women. This pony-tailed soldier who was fond of "flipping the bird" just doesn't fit into the film and is pure 1960s-70s. Heck, for that matter, Bo Svenson's hair was also too long, but at least it was kind of close. But again,...this film wasn't intended to be exactly a realistic view of the Second World War.

By the way, I think the man who came off best in the film was the Swedish-born Svenson. He was a pretty hardcore guy and I am surprised his career seemed to fade by the 1980s. Read his IMDb biography--he is a very, very impressive guy in real life.

When Enzo G. Castellari – acclaimed Italian director of polizia flicks – took the helm of this DIRTY DOZEN rip-off Italian war movie, you could be forgiven for expecting clichéd slow-motion shoot-outs and machine guns aplenty. You'd be right, because that's exactly what the film delivers – and great stuff it is too! The thin plot sees a bunch of disparate soldiers deep behind enemy lines, fighting both the Allies and the Germans as they wreak havoc across a lush green landscape. Essentially, this is a string of spectacular set-pieces, from bombing raids to ambushes, vehicle chases, and more besides.

The film has a great B-movie cast with many stalwart veterans popping up. Whether it's Dr Butcher himself, Donald O'Brien, as a nasty Nazi officer or Ian Bannen as a stiff-upper-lip British officer, this is a film of familiar faces. The leading roles are taken by Bo Svenson and Fred Williamson, both playing exceptionally cool hero types who it's fun to root for.

But Castellari is the real star here. The director has a knack of injecting his action sequences with a kind of limitless energy that others – even Tarantino – just can't reach. There's not a great deal of slow motion here, but lots of cheesy machine gun battles of the kind that became popular when Stallone and Schwarzenegger did it in the 1980s. The low budget is evident in the use of repeated locations and lack of squib hits, but even so the greenery provides an attractive backdrop for the war-time hijinks. The best bit is at the end, in which our heroes attack a train, but a sequence in which they storm a Nazi-occupied castle is also a highlight. Generally this is a fun-filled and entertaining movie that aims and hits the B-movie mark.