Quentin Tarantino's latest entry into his impressive catalogue of films comes in the form of Django Unchained. Living up to his reputation the film is bloody, explosive, captivating, at times disturbing but above all impressive. Set in the American south during 1858 the film follows Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave who is destined to never see his wife again and live a life of torture and hardship. Fortunately Django falls into the hands of a bounty hunter known as Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who promises to grant Django his freedom if he assists him on an assignment. Proving to be a competent partner Schultz makes a deal with Django involving a plan to rescue his wife from the ruthless plantation owner; Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).
The film is exactly what we have come to expect with Tarantino: a glorified spectacle of violence, gore and mayhem. In fact Tarantino's love affair with theatrical violence and blood has almost become his curse. Going into a Tarantino film you find yourself expecting the unexpected. Wheether it's everyone in the scene suddenly dying in spectacular fashion or for the leading man to be killed off, it has all become sort of familiar. Once upon a time Tarantino's unique style of film making was bold and unexpected leaving the audience shocked and in awe of what they were seeing. Now Tarantino is finding it hard to create the same sense of surprise with his films. Luckily the man is a brilliant filmmaker with his themes of violence playing but one role in his films. Tarantino has a natural ability for storytelling and along with his team consistently produces beautiful films whether its through the cinematography, screenwriting or the music, his films never cease to impress.
Tarantino is not just bold in his style of film making, but in his decision to set his films in places such as Nazi Germany (Inglourious Basterds) and in the deep south a few years before the Civil War as with Django Unchained. Given the serious nature of these time periods the subject matter is dark to say the least and for many a film set in these periods would be hard to watch. Yet Tarantino always manages to handle these difficult themes with respect, even managing to bring his dark twisted sense of humour to the films. It's as if he is trying to pick the most challenging setting for his film and still make the viewing enjoyable, even humourous.
Django Unchained also sees Tarantino direct his first Wetsern, a genre that has inspired many of his films but is effectively dead in modern cinema. Tarantino pays homage to the film that inspired him the most for Django Unchained: the orginal Django, made in 1966. Although Django Unchained is an original film written by Tarantino there are many references to the cult favourite of Django including a cameo from star Franco Nero and the use of many original songs from the film. So like all things with Tarantino the lines are not black and white: it's not technically a remake, instead it's almost a tribute to a genre he admires and loves.
Although I could talk about Tarantino all day the cast is equally as impressive. Christoph Waltz is once again the starring player after impressing the movie world with his portrayal of a Nazi general in Inglourious Basterds. Similarly to that film Waltz' character is introduced in spectacular fashion and he never looks back. In this film his role is changed to play the "hero" of sorts (more of an antihero given he is a bounty hunter) who is as dapper as he is kind, acting as the exception to the norm for a white man in that time period. Waltz has a demanding presence on screen and is the source of most of the humour in the film, highlighting his range as an actor.
Equal to the efforts of Waltz is Leonardo DiCaprio, who I feel has established himself as one of the best actors of the modern era. DiCaprio plays the ruthless owner of Candie "Candie Land" Cotton Plantations and everything about his character from his brown teeth to his piercing stare screams hate. Calvin Candie is a looming threat that hangs over Django and Schultz as soon as he is introduced on screen, but given their mission the duo are unable to break away from his seemingly inevitable eruption of violence. Perhaps the most disturbing character is Candie's servant Stephen played by the significantly older looking Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson's devotion to Candie and his distaste for Django is unsettling to say the least, with his deceitful behaviour acting as the catalyst for the dramatic conclusion.
Then there is the leading man of Jamie Foxx. Originally intended for Will Smith, Foxx makes the most of his chance in a Tarantino film and for the most part he does an ok job. Foxx definitely looks the part, but I couldn't help but be disappointed with his performance. Maybe it's just because he was overshadowed by the amazing performances of Waltz and DiCaprio but ultimately I feel his character needed to be more ferocious instead of quiet and serious, always plotting his revenge. One thing is for sure you definitely see a side to Foxx that hasn't been seen before or maybe more than just a side! Kerry Washington is also very good as Django's wife Broomhilda even though she has little time on screen. There is also a funny appearance from Jonah Hill and a memorable cameo from Tarantino himself who somewhat confusingly sounds like he has an Australian accent.
Tarantino's long awaited western can sit comfortably next to his previous films, living up to his reputation and the expectations of devoted fans. Despite its somewhat bloated length Django Unchained manages to entertain throughout and really who can complain about too much Tarantino. For newcomers to his style of film making the film will undoubtedly shock and disturb. In fact even for devoted fans this film will surely disturb as there are many cringe worthy scenes. I think the film can best be described by DiCaprio's character Candie when he declares that "Adult supervision is required".
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