Two years before the Civil War, Django (Jamie Foxx) is freed by a German bounty hunter. The pair hunt the most vicious Southern slavers, including Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Quentin Tarantino made a masterful mess out of WWII history in Inglourious Basterds; here, he takes more liberties with slavery, but also confronts some Old South cruelties head on. The results are exhilarating, funny and horrifying.
The Story
In 1859, Texas slave traders Ace and Dicky Speck (James Remar and James Russo) come across a pair of escaped slaves. One is named Django, and he has a skill for fighting. The other is Broomhilda von Shaft, a house slave who can speak both German and English. Django and Broomhilda are both branded with a R, which indicates that they were runaway slaves.
Django and Broomhilda set out to find their former owner, Calvin Candie, in Mississippi. They learn that Candie is a rich plantation owner, and he breeds “mandingos” — slaves who fight to the death bare-knuckle. The two plan to pose as European buyers and purchase Candie’s entire collection of mandingos and his property.
Quentin Tarantino is known for his flamboyant style, and the violence in Django Unchained is no exception. It’s significantly more brutal than his work in Kill Bill or Inglourious Basterds, and it seems to relish its gore. The splatter effects are done with impressive flair and no sense of restraint, making it the most violent movie the director has ever made.
DiCaprio and Waltz both deliver terrific performances, but they’re upstaged by Samuel L. Jackson, who delivers the movie’s best performance. His Stephen, Candie’s household servant, is a below-stairs Vichy figure who spews racism with utter abandon. His dead-eyed look, disturbing tremors and habit of dropping the n-word with a vengeance make him one of the most memorable film villains in recent memory.
The Cast
As is usual with Tarantino films, the film is stacked with great actors. The two leads Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio are excellent with both delivering powerful performances. Christoph Waltz also delivers a solid performance. He is no stranger to working with Tarantino having worked on Inglourious Basterds as Nazi colonel Hans Landa.
The story begins in Texas in the middle of the 1800s where a pair of bounty hunters Ace and Dicky Speck (James Remar and James Russo) capture Django (Jamie Foxx on low simmer) who is being brought to Calvin Candie’s Candyland plantation to be sold as a Mandingo slave. Candie, who is a wealthy planter, treats his slaves harshly. He dishes out whippings, brandings, beatings and even castrations. He has house slave Stephen (Samuel L Jackson, the tormented soul from Pulp Fiction) oversee these actions.
Django is soon rescued by Dr. King Schultz, an English-speaking German bounty hunter posing as a traveling dentist. Schultz has a bounty on the heads of three men he has captured and needs Django to help him ID them.
The film then begins a journey where the duo track down Candie’s slave wife Broomhilda von Shaft (Kerry Washington). After a brutal shootout, Django avenges his mentor and kills Stephen, freeing the other house slaves, and destroying the mansion with dynamite.
The Visuals
Quentin Tarantino has crafted a stylish and entertaining western in Django Unchained. It pays homage to the spaghetti westerns of the 1960’s and 1970’s but it is also unique in its own way. The film contains many scenes that are exhilarating, hilarious and horrifying. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is stunning and some of the landscape shots are breathtaking.
The acting is also top notch. Jamie Foxx is great as Django and he is very charismatic in this role. Leonardo DiCaprio is also good as Calvin Candie. His performance is one of the best of his career. Christoph Waltz is also excellent as Dr. King Schultz. He is a great villain and he is very entertaining to watch. Samuel L Jackson is also good as Stephen, Candie’s household servant. His performance is one of the best of the film.
Django Unchained is a great movie that is both entertaining and thought provoking. It doesn’t ignore the social issues that are taking place in this time period but it does so with care and intelligence. The movie is definitely worth watching and it is a must-see for fans of the spaghetti western movies genre. However, the movie does have some problems that may make it problematic for some people. For example, when Django triumphantly proclaims that he is “that one nigger in ten thousand”, it might be offensive to some people.
The Overall
While Django Unchained is not Tarantino’s best work, it is still a solid film and he has definitely improved since his last outing, Inglourious Basterds. The story is gripping and the characters are well-written, especially Django and Dr. Schultz. Jamie Foxx is at his best here and he really makes the character of Django his own. Christoph Waltz is also great as Schultz and he definitely earned his Academy Award win for this performance.
Django Unchained is a remarkably powerful movie that takes a look at the differences in power between the racist White Americans and the oppressed African American population in America. This is something that still exists today as we see the mistreatment of black people by some police officers in our country. The film explores the themes of racism, injustice and resistance in a way that is both historical and relevant to our current society.
While the movie is a drama, it is also a film that features some brutal violence. However, the violence is not overly graphic and the film mostly utilizes quick cuts or close ups to avoid showing the violence in too much detail. The violence in the film is used as a symbol of the brutal nature of slavery and it serves to drive the point home that Django is fighting against a system that is evil and cruel.
