Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Rating: R
People tend to either love or hate Quentin Tarantino: there is no
in-between. Personally, I think he is a genius. Just when you think he couldn’t
possibly create any more mind-boggling ridiculous plots, he proves to be beyond capable. In a
matter of words, “Django Unchained” is a hyper-stylized Western, meets “Roots.”
A powerful, exaggerated and at times horrifying story backed by a superb cast proves that Tarantino is still a master of his craft.
In true Tarantino fashion, the opening credits play in their
entirety before the film begins. We’re introduced to bounty hunter Dr. King
Schultz, a language-heavy man who couldn’t have been played by anyone but
Christoph Waltz. (He is quickly becoming one of my favorites.) Dr. Schultz needs
the help of a slave to identify his next target: enter Django. We see two sides of
this tortured man. Foxx portrays him as both a badass and a coward, when
appropriate. Dr. Schultz buys Django’s freedom, and the two become partners. Throughout
their killing sprees, Tarantino’s absurdity is still present, especially in the
scene featuring a cameo from Jonah Hill. However, I’m not sure if the language and
humor is quite as good as it once
was.
The film is essentially broken into two parts, and I
preferred the second. After a profitable winter bounty hunting, Dr. Schultz
agrees to help Django find his wife, whom they believe is a slave at “Candyland.”
Interesting name, considering the brutality that occurs there. I had to look
away on two occasions: it’s hard to imagine that people were truly so heartless. Kerry Washington plays Broomhilda, Django’s estranged wife.
She is such a beaut, and I would have liked a little more one-on-one time to
bond with her. Instead, we get a terrifying introduction to her life at
Candyland.
When we first meet Calvin Candie, played by Leo my love, Tarantino
uses a close-up zoom shot, a la “Kill Bill.” His blue eyes are striking, and
the attention to detail regarding his smoke-stained teeth is remarkable. This character is unlike any I’ve ever seen Leo portray, and it’s the best I’ve seen him in a
while. His Golden Globe nomination is much-deserved. Samuel L. Jackson is
unrecognizable as Stephen, Calvin’s butler. The evil he conveys with his eyes is terrifying, though his head couldn’t be up Calvin's ass any further.
In true Tarantino fashion, the film did tend to linger a
bit, but it couldn’t end without a gory bloodbath and classic tunes. Such is expected. “Pulp Fiction” is still my favorite of his masterpieces, but “Django” seems to be
pulling much more controversy, and rightfully so. Much to Spike
Lee’s chagrin, this movie had the audience roaring, and is racking up
nominations. Tarantino fans will love it.