10 Best Movies Where We Meet The Villain First

There are many hallmarks to a great Quentin Tarantino movie, from the over-the-top gory violence, to the eccentric and exaggerated characters and of course the usual gratuitous shot of bare female feet. These aren’t all, however.

Tarantino, in spite of all his action sequences, is a master of suspense and dialogue, and loves to open his movies that way. Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction both kicked off his career in such a way, but arguably one of the greatest cinematic opening scenes in history is that of Inglourious Basterds.

Taking place in 1941 German-occupied France, the scene introduced Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa. As one of the most ruthless of the Führer’s team of hunters, it doesn’t take Landa too long to discover that this particular family is harbouring fugitives from the state.

It is the slow build, the deliberate dialogue delivered so eloquently by Waltz, and the calmness in which such horrifying matters are discussed that make this scene so damn compelling. Even on a rewatch, it’s impossible to take in without that pit in your stomach, and the immediate hatred created for Landa in the space of just ten minutes.