MANILA, Philippines ? Advance word has it that ?Inglorious Basterds,? Quentin Tarantino?s latest film, is a certified hit, grossing over $200 million to date. Unfortunately, the war drama has yet to be released in the Philippines (it may be shown here early next month).

Reports from the States suggest that, while Brad Pitt is the movie?s most popular lead player, its success can?t be attributed to his performance alone. Tarantino?s signature combination of violence and humor once more comes to the fore, and some supporting players have impressed audiences with their assertive and inspired performances.

Topping the film?s list of gifted supporting players is Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who is cast in the plum role of the movie?s chilling villain, the brilliant and cold-blooded SS Colonel Hans Landa.

Landa viciously hunts down Jews, including the family of another important character, Shosanna Dreyfus, who comes back to exact her vengeance in the end. Before that, however, Landa colors the screen red with his evil deeds.

Textured portrait

It would have been easy for Waltz to have played the villain to the melodramatic hilt, but he?s chosen to add other, more subtle colors to his textured portrait of the vile SS butcher. So, it didn?t come as a surprise when he bagged the Best Actor trophy at this year?s Cannes film fest for his exceptional performance.

Now that Tarantino?s film has introduced him to viewers all over the world, Waltz can be expected to get increasingly bigger roles in major productions. For starters, he?s just completed his scenes for ?The Green Hornet,? where he plays Chudnofsky.

For her part, French actress Melanie Laurent, cast as Shosanna Dreyfus in ?Inglorious Basterds,? relates with particular unction to her role as the only surviving member of a Jewish family murdered by Landa?s men, because her grandfather survived deportation by the Nazis. She has appeared in 20 films between 1999 and 2009, and has won a Cesar Award for Most Promising Actress. In 2006, she was also awarded France?s prestigious Romy Schneider award for Most Promising Actress.

Aside from acting, Laurent is also a talented scriptwriter and director. And, with songwriter and singer Damien Rice, she is recording her first album.

Dream

She shares, ?When I read the script of ?Inglorious Basterds,? I was like, wow, it?s been my dream to kill Hitler since I was 4 years old?so, I was kind of like Shosanna already. I read the script with my grandfather, and he told me, ?You have to make this movie, please.? So, it was not just for me, it was for my family.?

Playing another attention-calling role in Tarantino?s film is Spanish-born German actor, Daniel Bruhl, who?s cast as the war hero who?s used by Laurent?s character to get to Hitler. His international breakthrough role came in 2003, when he played Alex Kerner in the Golden Globe-nominated feature, ?Goodbye, Lenin!? He also won the European Film Academy Award for the same role.

Bruhl?s first English-speaking movie was ?Ladies in Lavender? (2004), with British acting legends, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. His upcoming projects include the Anglo-Russian Production, ?In Transit,? where he?s cast as a young Nazi soldier, opposite John Malkovich.