The glorious center of Inglourious Basterds is Hans Landa, the frighteningly charismatic SS colonel posted in occupied France to hunt Jews and oversee the security of the movie premiere that Hitler will attend. Played to perfection by Django Unchained star Christoph Waltz, Landa is a master of words, wrapping his tongue around multiple languages (English, French, Italian, Quentin-speak) while tightening the screws on his unfortunate victims. In a film that is largely about how language (both spoken and cinematic) can rewrite history, Landa embodies its themes. The slippery character can swap allegiances as fast as he can switch tongues and even attempts to write his own alternate version of history at the film’s end. One of the greatest villains in movie history, Landa can step into a room and immediately send the tension to the ceiling -- even when he’s just insisting that you taste the strudel and cream.