Django Unchained
Released 25 December 2012 (USA)
Plot:
With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio
Before you watch this film please know that this was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. That statement means this film pulls no punches and doesn't shy away from touchy subjects such as slavery and American history. This film is littered with slave history, violence, derogatory language, and bigotry. In my opinion this is one of Tarantino's best films because of subject matter, character development, and entertaining retribution. Let me explain why.
Set two years before the American Civil War, Jamie Foxx stars as the slave Django (the "D" is silent) who was separated from his true love. He is liberated by German dentist Dr. King Shultz, played exquisitely by Christolph Waltz. As fate would have it Django's savior is a bounty hunter and the location of the men he is after is only known by Django himself. Dr. Shultz agrees to help rescue Django's love from her master and they become a partnership to execute justice when and where they see fit.
Movies that last longer than ninety minutes are rare and it's because of the attention span of most American viewers. Django Unchained runs for two hours and fourty-five minutes. Don't be afraid to relax and enjoy this epic of a tale just because of it's lengthy duration. In order to understand the situations and emotions placed before Django in this film the audience needs to witness all that he has faced, but it is done so with wonderful editing, memorable scenes, intense violence, vibrant characters, and intellectual dialogue.
Jamie Foxx is billed as the star but Christoph Waltz steals the entire movie. He owns every scene he speaks in and his character is an immediate fan favorite. Django IS the character of the movie with his vengeance and revenge leading him to action, but without his mentor, Dr. Shultz, Django would still be a slave. Leonardo DiCaprio takes on a villainous role as Mr. Candy who is a slave owner and Mandingo fighter (Mandingo fighting is a bout to the death between two black slaves. Think of cock-fighting but with men.) It's rare for DiCaprio to play such an evil character but he pulls it off extremely well. Watch for the scene where Candy is interrogating Django and Shultz at the dinner table; DiCaprio breaks a real glass under his hand during filming and stays in character as the cameras continue to roll. As real blood pours out of his hand all the actors continue to remain in character, even when he smears his blood in a female actress' face. GREAT acting and fantastic directing control.
The soundtrack for Django Unchained is perfection; adding generic western melodies to hardcore rap lyrics, classic rock and ballads to country driven instrumentals. Sound effects are lacking and you'll understand why when you hear bullets hit flesh and gore starts to fly but everything remains to be entertaining and far from annoying. Conversations are always audible and enunciated with cynical accents and facial expressions. Even the co-stars are flawless in their acting.
I give Django Unchained 5 out of 5 DeathStars. Fantastic film. Congratulations Quentin Tarantino.
P.S.- This is the only movie where I've completely hated Samuel L. Jackson.
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