9) Bring Out The Bear Jew –Â Inglourious Basterds (2009)
The first time we meet the Basterds in Tarantino’s war-disguised western, they’ve taken a group of Nazis captive and are attempting to gain information on enemy positions. The group is led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who enlisted his team on the promise that they each grant him 100 Nazi scalps. Fair deal.
One member of the Basterds, Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth), is renowned for his huge stature and preference for using a baseball bat to dispatch enemies with: he’s even known mythically as The Bear Jew, and is feared by Nazis everywhere.
One of the best moments in the movie deals with the introduction of said character, and it’s a surprisingly poignant scene despite its violence climax. After refusing to disclose the appropriate information, Lt. Raine calls on the Bear Jew to dispatch of uncompromising Nazi Sgt. Werner Rachtman. The Bear Jew’s introduction is appropriately mythic, as he emerges from beneath a bridge to a melancholic Ennio Morricone track, clutching his baseball bat and looking mean as hell.
But Tarantino grants Rachtman a moment of dignity: “Did you get that for killing Jews?” Donowitz asks straightly, referring to a medal on Rachtman’s breast. “Bravery,” Rachtman replies calmly. Donowitz takes that in for a second, then proceeds to beat the enemy to death with a dozen hits of his trademark weapon. Ouch.
