Flick Review: Django Unchained

Django Unchaimed (2012)

Directed By:  Quentin Tarentino
Starring:  Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, Walton Goggins, Quentin Tarentino

Django Unchained is a movie I've been wanting to see since I saw the bootleg footage of the trailer from San Diego ComicCon.   Being a fan of Tarentino in general, I probably would have seen it anyhow, but I'm also a huge fan of the western genre, which goes back to my childhood.  As such, I made sure to see this flick within a week of it's released.  I had high hopes for it entering the theater.  It did not disappoint.

Django Unchained follows the story of Django (Foxx), a slave who is rescued by a German Bounty Hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Waltz), He reveals that that he freed Django because he can identify a gang that he is hunting, the Brittle Brothers, due to their prior work as overseers at Django’s former plantation. Schultz, who is opposed to slavery personally, comes to an agreement with his new charge; in exchange for his assistance, Schultz will give Django his freedom. The two successfully find their quarry, during which Schultz hears the sad tale of how Django was separated from his wife, Broomhilda (Hilde).  Moved by the story, the two strike an accord; in exchange for Django continuing his working arrangement with Schultz throughout the winter, the two will combine forces in locating Hilde’s current whereabouts.  After a search in the auction records, the duo find that Hilde has been sold to Calvin Candie (DiCaprio), a charming, but loathsome figure who owns one of the largest and heavily fortified plantations in the South.  With the stakes raised, the two must find a way not only to rescue Hilde, but also find a way to ensure that her freedom will be both permanent, and legal, as well as ensuring that they all live to tell the tale.

Just as he did in Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds, Tarentino pays homage to a genre film in his own manner, the spaghetti western this time around. It’s very much the same as the Clint Eastwood films I remember watching as a kid, from the panoramic and at times desolate environments, the slightly dramatic, slightly cheesy instrumental music, and even down to the ludicrous and slightly hysterical opening scene theme. Some of the music is original, although I did detect the theme from the Clint Eastwood flick, Two Mules For Sister Sara in the film as well.

There is some wonderful dialogue in the film, with plenty of witty back and fourth, incredibly quotable lines, and some wonderfully comedic and dramatic sequences.  It's this complexity and thought that is placed into the writing that is the ultimate hallmark of a Quentin Tarentino flick.  You're guarantee to hear or see something new or unique, and crafted to perfection.

The movie is beautifully shot.  There are some wonderful snow and mountain scenes, and the action sequences are pure Tarentino, filled with bloody, beautiful chaotic action.   The costumes are near accurate for the times, and rather tasteful for the most part (I love Jamie Foxx's hat, and and looking for a similar one as we speak).  The film isn't completely historically accurate, but the movie is a work of fiction, and thus this isn't a major problem.

There are a host of memorable and wonderful characters in the film, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll only be covering the major players in the film. We’ll start with Jamie Foxx, who plays Django. Apparently, from what I’ve read, Foxx was not the first choice for the role, as Tarentino wanted Will Smith at first to play the lead. However, after viewing the film, and some thought, I think the right actor was casted for the role. Both Foxx and Smith are excellent actors, but Foxx is able to inject a certain menace and humor to the role that I don’t think Smith would have been able to. Foxx is able to come off as slightly arrogant and haughty at a point of the film when his character is incognito. Smith, in my opinion, wouldn’t have been able to do that, as his characters are at best incredibly likable or sorrowful, almost messianic figures. Christoph Waltz returns to Tarentino’s works as Schultz, who is a complete 180 from Waltz’s previous Tarentino role of Hans Landa from Inglorious Basterds. Like Landa, Schultz is a charming, humorous energetic individual who commands your attention when he is on screen. Unlike Landa, Schultz is a kind hearted man with a strong sense of moral justice, which we see from his first encounter with Django to his eventual role in the mission to Candyland. As he did with Landa, Waltz takes the role and knocks it out of the park.

DiCaprio is the role of a villain for one of the few times in his career, and suffice to say, he absolutely rocks it.  DiCaprio looks every bit the part of the Southern Dandy that his character is, but combines this with an almost loathsome charisma and a overbearing smarmy sort of arrogance that makes you almost root for his demise.  And the funny thing is, he's far from the most evil character in the movie.  That goes to Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Candie's head slave, Stephen.  He is so obnoxious, so calculating, and embodied with a unpleasantness that progresses to being outright loathsome by the end of the film that you wish that he would suffer the most excruciating demise possible for him in the depths of Tarentino's mental chamber of horrors.  It takes a great actor to play great villains, and both do it perfectly.

All in all, Django Unchained was worth the wait since I saw that first grainy trailer.  It's arguably Tarentino's second best film (Inglorious Basterds remains my all time favorite), and it definitely holds up to multiple viewings, from what I've heard.  I'd advise you to see it, and if necessary, see it alone if you have to.  It's good enough to withstand the shame of seeing a flick alone.  After the first five minutes, you won't care that you did.