Django Unchained
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio
New Release Review
Arlaine's Review
Very few filmmakers can create a well-rounded, well-thought out, captivating film. Many try and many fail. There are, however, an elite few who can maintain a high standard of film-making in every film they create. Quentin Tarantino is one of these filmmakers.
Django Unchained is the newest creation from the genius that is Tarantino. The last film Tarantino created (and I use the term "created" because Tarantino literally creates each film he puts out from the ground up) was 2009's Inglorious Basterds which became another one of Tarantino's masterpieces. However, this one was special - it garnered critical praise and box office success, becoming Tarantino's highest grossing film to date. It also earned eight Academy Award nominations with Christoph Waltz winning for Best Supporting Actor. Already praised by critics and audiences, Django Unchained is poised to join Tarantino's list of masterpieces.
Set in the Pre-Civil-War era of the deep south, the film stars Foxx as the title character, who has been separated from his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) when the two were sold to different slave owners. Django is freed by Dr. King Schultz (Waltz), a bounty hunter who enlists the former slave's help with locating the Brittle Brothers who once owned Django. Discovering that he is quite talented in his newly found profession, Schultz takes on Django as an apprentice and decides that he will help him reunite with his wife. The two partners find that Broomhilda's current owner is Calvin Candie (DiCaprio), a plantation owner who does not part with his slaves easily. Django and Schultz disguise themselves as slave owners and head on a journey to free Broomhilda.
What can I say about this film other than it is utter genius. Tarantino has an unbelievable knack for knowing exactly what needs to be incorporated in a film to make it work. He seamlessly combines all film genres (action, thriller, comedy, romance, etc) to make one wonderfully engaging film. The film is long - in true Tarantino fashion, it is more of an epic tale than a simple movie - running at 2 hours 45 minutes, but the story never drags. There is even an impromptu "gag" scene ala Mel Brooks to cut the tension of the heavy storyline.
Despite the controversy that surrounded the film (some claimed the depictions of racism and slavery were unrealistic and the heavy use of the "n-word" was unnecessary), critics and audiences have praised Tarantino's bold and daring film. He has a unique way of telling stories through film and each story he delivers is highly infectious. They become cult classics and produce some of the best work from its actors. Case in point: Waltz and DiCaprio.
Well-deserved Golden Globe nominations have already been awarded to both Waltz and DiCaprio for their scene-stealing performances in Django Unchained. Don't be surprised to see both actors receive Oscar nods for their roles in Tarantino's epic tale (which has earned three Golden Globe nominations including Best Director, Screenplay and Drama Motion Picture). Tarantino seems to have found another muse in Waltz; the pair's earlier collaboration earned Waltz his first Oscar along with numerous other industry awards. Although his performance in this film is just as stellar as his previous work in Inglorious Basterds, I believe it is DiCaprio who shines the brightest in his supporting role. Perhaps this will be the role that finally earns him a long-overdue Oscar. DiCaprio, who seems to be able to tackle any role he is offered, stands out once again in this film with this larger than life character who is both charismatic and brutal. One particular scene solidifies and truly demonstrates DiCaprio's acting chops - a dinner scene where he monologues his anger in discovering the truth about his guests. And showing his true talent, DiCaprio kept the scene going despite running into a situation that would have most actors yelling "CUT". (Check out this article on Yahoo! Movies to see what I mean). Now that's a real actor.
I would never have guessed it but the pairing of DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson was (for lack of a better word) genius. Those two had a remarkable amount of chemistry that exuded in every scene they had together.
Foxx was decent - although he did not stand out in this film (it's hard to do so with such other strong performances) he managed to keep up with the actors around him. He was the best choice for this role as I honestly can't see anyone else being able to portray this character so well. He was, however, given some great lines and he runs with it. ("Django. The 'd' is silent").
Final Verdict: See it. NOW. A great film overall. Nothing to complain about on this one. Tarantino strikes gold with another great story and great cast. Even if you don't generally like Tarantino's style (he can be too bloody, gory and in-your-face for some), try to look past that and pay attention to the story he is telling. You won't be disappointed.
Christine's Review
Wow, way to leave me tons to talk about Arlaine...
As has been said, Django Unchained is a movie that makes the audience work: it's witty, violent, and a little on the long side. Let me be clear up front: I am not as huge a fan of Tarantino as Arlaine. I feel that lately he's been stuck in the rut of the "Revenge Fantasy" story only set in different locations. We've seen this before and without the utterly captivating performances from Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio respectively, I would not have enjoyed this movie half as much.
I truly believe that Waltz will win an Academy Award for his performance as Dr. King Schultz, the dentist-turned-bounty-hunter who frees Django. I couldn't take my eyes off him whenever he was on the screen. Waltz, like Steve Buscemi in Reservoir Dogs before him, has found a way to take the Tarintinian dialogue and make it sound effortless and natural. It's as though the characters are just riffing on the topic (Madonna, tipping, the morality of a foreign man who abhorrs slavery owning a slave, and bounty hunting) and are just that interesting. Waltz is playing a German character in Schultz so he is able to keep his natural accent which, I believe, adds to the performance. The unusual phrasing and almost stiff formality of Schultz's speech continually reminds us that, like Django, he too is an outsider in America (albeit a different sort).
**Minor Spoilers Ahead**
Having seen several of Q's movies I had an idea of the violence I could expect in Django Unchained. What I Didn't expect was a truly horrific scene where a slave is killed by dogs to be given such respect by the director. The comical, cartoonish, blood-spurting wounds of Tarantino films has been replaced with a realistic and decidedly un-funny depiction of a gruesome death. I'm not sure if it's because we needed to see how far Django would go to maintain his character of a mandingo fight expert in order to find and free his wife or if Tarantino wanted to remind the audience that we're all watching a movie about slavery and it really did happen in the USA. By placing this scene in the middle of the story it functions as a foil to the other violence in the movie and heightens the revenge Django exacts during the final blood-soaked and bullet-filled act. Am I over-thinking it? Or am I being too sensitive to the blood and guts style of fighting?
**Spoilers Over**
Final Verdict: If you're a fan of other Tarantino movies then you're probably going to like Django Unchained. But, if you're at all on the fence about his storytelling and visual style, it might be best to wait for the DVD.
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