Rated
R (Strong Graphic Violence Throughout, a Vicious Fight, Language and Some
Nudity)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 45 Minutes
Cast-
Jamie
Foxx-Django Freeman
Christoph
Waltz-Dr. King Schultz
Leonardo
DiCaprio-Calvin J. Candie
Kerry
Washington-Broomhilda Von Shaft
Samuel
L. Jackson-Stephen
Walton
Goggins-Billy Crash
Don
Johnson-Spencer 'Big Daddy' Bennett
Laura
Cayouette-Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly
James
Russo-Dicky Speck
James
Remar-Ace Speck/Butch Pooch
Tom
Wopat-Marshall Gill Tatum
Cooper
Huckabee-Roger 'Little Raj' Brittle
Doc
Duhame-Ellis Brittle
M.
C. Gainey-Big John Brittle
Bruce
Dern-Curtis Carrucan
Franco
Nero-Amerigo Vassepi
Jonah
Hill-Randy
Ato
Essandoh-D'Artagnan
Sammi
Rotibi-Rodney
Quentin
Tarantino-The LeQuint Dickey Mining Co. Employee
Directed
by Quentin Tarantino
 |
| The Dynamic Duo: Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx star as bounty hunters in Quentin Tarantino's latest film, "Django Unchained." |
An
exercise in revisionist history, Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film,
"Inglourious Basterds," takes place in an alternate World War II
where Adolf Hitler didn't commit suicide but instead meets a fiery demise at a
small Paris theater in the name of 'Jewish vengeance'! Tarantino is once again
rewriting the course of history in his latest film, "Django
Unchained," set during the era of American slavery. Hailed as 'one of the
greatest filmmakers of the modern age' (Eric Eisenberg of Cinema Blend), Tarantino's
love of cinema shines through in every frame of his work, creating a reverent
pastiche of genres while also telling surprisingly nuanced stories packed with
over-the-top characters, off-beat humor, and extreme violence—just the way we
like it. There is simply no other director out there that can mix-and-match
such disparate elements to such entertaining effect like he can. Bolstered by
memorable performances and a quirky sense of humor, "Django Unchained"
delivers on everything you would expect from a Quentin Tarantino film and while
it's not quite on the level of "Inglourious Basterds," it still stands
as living proof that revenge is a dish best served…Tarantino-style!
Bound in
chains, a group of slaves led by the Speck brothers are being marched to their
new owner's estate in 1858 Texas. A German man pulls up in a dentist cart and
introduces himself to the brothers as Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). He
explains that he is looking for a slave that can identify the Brittle brothers.
One of the slaves, a man named Django (Jamie Foxx), announces that he can and
Schultz offers to buy him from the Specks. However, the Speck brothers have no
interest in cutting a deal and threaten Schultz but before they can even make a
move, the articulate German shoots one of the brothers in the head and cripples
the other. The crippled Speck brother immediately agrees to sell Django. After
paying for both Django and the dead Speck's horse, Schultz frees the other
slaves as well. He tells them that they can either carry the remaining Speck to
the nearest town or shoot him and flee north. Arriving in a small town near El
Paso, Schultz reveals to Django that he is actually a bounty hunter. He offers Django
a deal: in exchange for locating and identifying the Brittle brothers, Schultz
will grant him his freedom, pay him a $75 share of the reward, and let him keep
the horse. Django readily agrees but Schultz, impressed with the former slave's
intelligence and marksmanship, ends up taking him on as a full partner for the
winter. Upon learning of Django's intent to free his wife, Broomhilda Von Shaft
(Kerry Washington), Schultz decides to help him in return, with the two
traveling to Calvin J. Candie's (Leonardo DiCaprio) plantation, 'Candieland,'
deep in Mississippi. However, they run afoul of Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson),
Candie's loyal servant and closest confidante, who will do whatever it takes to
maintain the status quo.
Similar to "Inglourious Basterds," "Django
Unchained" pays homage to the spaghetti westerns made popular by Sergio
Leone, with its story drawing inspiration from Sergio Corbucci's 1966 film "Django"
while also mixing in elements of a seventies-style blaxploitation flick. The
film begins in classic Tarantino style with a tense exchange between Christoph
Waltz's Dr. King Schultz (ironic name if you think about it) and the Speck
brothers, played by James Remar and James Russo. Of course, it all ends violently
yet the scene maintains an almost light-hearted tone as Schultz is adamant
about following protocol, requesting a Bill of Sale for Django while one of the
Speck brothers lies dead in a pool of blood and the other crying from a broken
leg. Tarantino has always excelled at mining humor from seemingly innocuous and
violent situations. At one point, he turns a lynching into a hilarious farce as
a group of Ku Klux Klan members begin complaining amongst themselves that they
cannot see through their masks! With its irreverent tone and unflinching
brutality, Tarantino once again weaves a tale of vengeance that is highlighted
by sharply written and verbose conversations that keeps its audience on their
toes despite the episodic structure of the story.
Although Calvin J. Candie is
presented as the 'main' villain, the film directs its fury at all the white men
(and women) who oppresses or has oppressed Django, leading to some wildly
entertaining action scenes (which is rather sparse) as bullets don't just hit
their targets but explode into a geyser of blood as one man is shot over twenty
times, sometimes in the same place! The graphic violence takes on a cartoonish
surrealism since it's presented in such an over-the-top manner. There's a point
to all this savagery and one of the reasons why Tarantino is such a gifted
filmmaker is that he is able to entertain while mixing low-brow genre
sensibilities with social commentary. Throughout the film, we are presented
with moments of extreme cruelty and cavalier racism as every black person is
treated as less than human and sold as cattle. It creates a simmering anger
that explodes during its blood-soaked finale and what's even more shocking is
that this used to be the norm.
Tarantino may rewrite history with one man acting as a conduit for every pain
and injustice inflicted on his people but as far as the time period is
concerned, it's frighteningly accurate. One can understand and even sympathize
with what the slaves went through yet we're still tip-toeing about the issue
because of the strong emotions it rightly stirs up. By emphasizing the ugly
world of the antebellum South, Tarantino is forcing us to confront our shameful
past.
Like his previous efforts, Tarantino has gathered an eclectic cast led by
Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx. Waltz, who won Best Supporting Actor at the
82nd Academy Awards for his delightful performance as Colonel Hans Landa in
"Inglourious Basterds," once again steals the entire film as the
charming yet professional Dr. King Schultz. What makes Schultz such a memorable
character is due in no small part to Waltz's natural charisma and his ability
to transform Tarantino's long passages of dialogue into what Brian Orndorf
calls a 'verbal ballet of playful energy.' Foxx is another Academy Award winner
(he won Best Actor for 2004's "Ray"), although his recent body of
work has largely been forgettable, with the exception of 2006's
"Dreamgirls." It's a shame because he's a great actor and a funny
comedian to boot. In a role originally intended for Will Smith, Foxx is more
subdued compared to his more eccentric co-stars but it allows him to bring a
subtlety and nuance to Django as he confidently strides across the screen,
blasting away anybody who gets in his way with unerring accuracy. As for
Leonardo DiCaprio, all I can say is 'wow.' DiCaprio normally takes more serious
roles but he unleashes a sadistic dark side as Calvin J. Candie, hiding his
ruthless malevolence behind a cultured facade. His monologue on how phrenology
proves that black people are meant to be subservient is one of the most
memorable scenes in the film. Candie isn't the only villain, as his manservant
Stephen, played by Samuel L. Jackson in old-age makeup, is an even more
contemptible figure who is all too willing to oblige his masters in enforcing
and perpetuating the status quo. Rounding out the main cast is Kerry Washington,
who isn't given much to do despite being the driving force behind the plot but
she makes the most of her limited screen-time. The rest of the supporting cast
contains a number of welcome cameos, such as Jonah Hill and even the original
Django himself, the legendary Franco Nero. Tarantino also pops up as well,
although his attempt at an Australian accent is frankly embarrassing.
Released on
December 25, 2012, "Django Unchained" has received overwhelmingly
positive reviews with 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hailed it as a 'bold,
bloody, and stylistically daring…incendiary masterpiece from Quentin
Tarantino.' With $64 million already in the pot, the film is on-track to
becoming Tarantino's highest-grossing movie ever. As for awards buzz, the late
release might be a detriment but Waltz and DiCaprio are the strongest and
likeliest contenders, although it's a long shot for both to be nominated in the
same Supporting Actor category. Tarantino will likely receive a nod for
Original Screenplay and that'll be it as I don't see this film going over so
well with Academy voters, the majority of them being white. "Django
Unchained" is another worthy addition to Tarantino's filmography, a
hilarious, violent spectacle that also functions as a mirror to America's
shameful past. It is only fitting that 2012 end with Tarantino having the last
laugh.
Final
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
"Kill
white people and get paid for it? What's not to like?"
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