Cinema Review – Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino’s latest silver screen outing is a tale of revenge, and it is a dish that is served in the very best way — cold. In fact some might say that Django Unchained is revenge at Sub-Zero temperatures, as the film maker certainly cranks it up in this Corbucci inspired western.

Set in 1858, Django Unchained is a simple tale of redemption filled to the rafters with the writer-directors tell-tale flair. Evident in one hilarious encounter with a poorly prepared Ku-Klux-Klan who cannot see through the eye holes of the masks that one of their wives made for them.

It seems that Tarantino is far from afraid from political correctness, evident in one particular character, a slave played in true fire and brimstone fashion by Samuel L Jackson,  that is far more racist than any of the white characters in the film. In fact there is uproar within Hollywood with the amount of time the N word is used with in the running time of the film, Spike Lee has been reported to have started a boycott of the film. I do find this strange as I am guessing that Django is fairly accurate historically and by boycotting the film how are you going to judge it at all?

The film opens somewhere in Texas where two slave traders, The Speck Brothers, encounter a german speaking Dentist, Dr King Schultz played by Christoph Waltz, on the road late one night. It turns out that Schultz is not only the most flamboyant dentist ever but is also a bounty hunter intent on freeing a slave by the name of Django that the Speck’s have in their custody.

Django is valuable as he is the only person that can help Schultz identify the Brittle Brothers. After gaining his freedom Django agrees to assist the German Bounty Hunter in killing these evil siblings. Whilst on this quest they learn that Django’s wife Broomhilda is not in the clutches of Plantation Owner and general southern bad guy, Calvin Candle played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The pair set out on a suicidal mission to free Django’s estranged spouse.

The film is full to the brim with slow mo guns fights, stylistic flashbacks and long and witty monologues. However at 165 mins it can feel at times that we are having too much of a good thing. I am not saying it is not enjoyable, as it is. I was on the edge of my seat with a massive grin on my face for most of the running time, but there are some flabby bits that could have been cut – An awful section of dodgy Australian accents and cameos spring to mind.

Foxx is understated and enigmatic as the vengeful husband, playing the straight man to the OTT and larger than life performances by Waltz, DiCaprio and Jackson. There are some extremely tender moments within the film, but as soon as you get comfy and sentimental, Tarantino unleashes his witty fury, with explosions and gun fights.

Django is as long as it is full of bodies, with stellar performances from the entire lead cast. It may not be the best Tarantino film, but even a medium one is a lot better than the best of a lot of his peers.