Django Unchained Review

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?"