Django Unchained (2012)

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  Rating: 4.00 / 5.00

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  Movie Info
  • Director:Quentin Tarantino
  • Genres:Action, Comedy, Drama, Western
  • Rating:R
  • Release Date:25 December 2012
  • Screenwriter:Quentin Tarantino
  • Starring:Christoph Waltz, Don Johnson, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson
• 

  Django Unchained (2012)

Django Unchained Film Review

What Worked?

Do you ever wish you can change history and get some payback? Well, if you’re Quentin Tarantino you can do it in bloody style on celluloid. Django Unchained marks the second time that Tarantino has opened a can of whoop ass on the sore parts of history, making it lively, fun and satisfying. This film sees the title character, Django, a slave turned bounty hunter, on a mission to rescue his slave wife and set her free. Let’s just say he leaves a vengeful trail with his six shooters, in between the thought-provoking and highly clever Tarantino dialogue. Jamie Foxx is joined by Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kerry Washington in this Spaghetti Western soaked in  bloody marinara sauce.

Usually with Tarantino, the dialogue and wonderfully colorful characters and action are enough to hold you over. As he ages, his cinematic eye definitely expands. This film is beautifully shot, capturing the wide open ranges and snow capped mountains in just the right light. There are also some nice touches, with some of the flashbacks being shot in a retro tint. The dialogue is full of cleverness and bravado that only Tarantino can do. The action scenes are a full-on, in your face horror gore galore. Bullets whiz by, as you can hear the slowed down sound and impact, and watch them explode into a firework of blood when it hits the flesh. Oh, and to top it off, everyone in their respective roles are highly entertaining.

Jamie Foxx in the title role plays the role of a slave turned bounty hunter with a cool blue tone in his eyes and mannerisms. You can see his transition from a unprivileged, dog-beaten slave to a blood-thirsty free man. Foxx plays Django as a studiously quiet bounty hunter with a knack for sending bullet trains home with a squeeze. Despite being a complete badass, you can still see his pain and love for Broohilda, played by the beautiful Kerry Washington.

Ladies and gentlemen, Christoph Waltz does it again (another Oscar perhaps?). Waltz plays veteran bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz, who also acts as an Obi Wan to Django. Waltz plays Schultz as a wonderfully polite man that is equally lethal, with a passion for hating slavery. He’s so polite and so proper, and that only amplifies his cold-blooded hand.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie is in top form in his first outing as a villain. DiCaprio, as Candie, is deliciously evil and very flamboyant. He seem to be having a good time, as he takes us along for the ride to Candie land. One of the best moments in the film is his breakdown of the skull of a black man in an almost Shakespeare-esque light. Many will leave the theater wanting to see DiCaprio play more villains, and rightfully so.

It’s rare to see that the trailer is correct in it’s promise. About a year back the trailer proclaimed that Django would be “off the chain.” Well, Django was off the chain, wreaking candy blood havoc onscreen, making for a thoroughly entertaining Spaghetti Western that’s just too much damned fun to put down in any serious way. Even Django’s horse has swagger, with a hard “r.” Break the chain of your mundane life and watch Django Unchained to find freedom for at least a couple of hours.

Potential Drawbacks:

Those that don’t enjoy dialogue will definitely not like this film, because there’s just a lot of clever dialogue in it. Its also a very lengthy movie, so those with shorter attention spans might be derailed.

It ‘s a film that can get silly at times, especially with the action, and it gets very gory. If you’re not used to Quentin Tarantino films, you might not like what he’s all about. If you’ve always disliked Tarantino films, this one probably won’t be any different from your past experiences.

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