2 hours, 45 minutes
Western, 2012
Written & Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring
Jamie Foxx as Django
Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Shultz
Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie
Kerry Washington as Broomhilda
Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen
"The badder they are, the bigger the reward."
The D may be silent, but this movie is anything but.
I'm happy to say that Quentin Tarantino has done it again. Django Unchained is one hell of a spaghetti western, and it isn't short on the red sauce. QT has successfully created another world full of interesting and fun characters, exceptional dialogue, and badass shootouts. He's one of the few directors that could basically direct a film of any genre, from gangsters to samurai to war films. As QT's western, this one will stand the test of time.
Considering the subject matter, the film is sometimes a bit difficult to watch. Slaves are beaten and killed, and not only is it gory, but it just isn't easy to sit there and watch it. But there are only a few moments of that. Tarantino even manages to bring out quite a bit of humor with a film about slavery in the South. For example, the villain, a plantation owner named Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) runs his plantation under the name "Candyland." If that ain't fucked up I don't know what is. It's subtle humor like that in which Django draws most of its laughs, but it should not be mistaken for a straight up comedy.
There's a surprising amount of character development as well, at least for a Tarantino movie. Django goes from slave to badass bounty hunter, while Dr. Shultz (played perfectly by Christoph Waltz of Inglorious Basterds fame) comes around to see Django as not just a business parter, but a friend.
DiCaprio is fantastic in his southern drawl as Candie, the plantation owner, and Samuel L. Jackson is great as DiCaprio's right hand man, Stephen. The majority of the roles were clearly written for their respective actors, Dr. Shultz in particular for Waltz. Fans of Inglorious Basterds will easily recognize bits and pieces of Col. Hans Landa from Waltz's performance, with his impeccable articulation and humorous hand gestures. He's also got a badass beard.
Like most QT movies, it runs a bit on the longer side. Don't let that stop you from seeing it. Every piece of the film feels necessary and it never stops being entertaining.
In comparing it to other QT movies, how does it compare? I'm not sure. It isn't quite as good as Pulp Fiction, then again, I believe that to be his masterpiece. It's definitely up there, ranking alongside Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill. But ranking his catalog is for another time.
Django Unchained definitely lives up to the hype, as well as the Quentin Tarantino name. It's got tons of blood, shootouts, and a fantastic script, all tied up with a superb finale. Tarantino makes movies that Tarantino want's to see, and I already know I want to see it again.
"D-J-A-N-G-O. The D is silent."
9.8/10
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