Django Unchained review

Django Unchained

Lee Durrant hones his gunslinger skills as he reviews Tarantino’s take on the Western…

Synopsis: Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave in early 19th century America who has been separated from his wife. With the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) he embarks on a bloody journey across the Deep South to save her from the evil plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio)…

Review: Tarantino’s apparent new muse, the fantastic Christophe Waltz, is a bounty hunter who ‘unchains’ Django on the proviso he assists him to locate his latest bounty. The two strike an unlikely team giving the first hour or so of the film an almost bro-mance feel. They embark on a killing spree collecting bounty after bounty, with Django receiving expert gunslinger training in exchange for local knowledge and assistance. The plot eventually moves towards the locating and attempted rescue of Django’s estranged wife Broomhilder (Kerry Washington) who has been purchased by a notoriously cruel plantation owner – Calvin Candie (DiCaprio). This is where Django Unchained steps up a gear… We are introduced to two deliciously evil characters; DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie, owner of plantation ‘Candieland’ and his top servant, a jaw dropping Samuel L Jackson as Stephen. The film moves slowly towards an inevitably bloody but hugely satisfying showdown, all delivered in that timeless Tarantino style that we all have come to expect from the director… An uncompromising film to watch, points to Christophe Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio who deliver superb performances throughout. However, it is Samuel L Jackson as Stephen the ‘house N—-r’ who steals the film with his sensational portrayal of a truly dislikeable character. Django Unchained is everything QT fans worldwide would have wanted, delighting and offending in equal measure.

The Best: It seems to take a while to meet them, but when we do Calvin Candie (DiCaprio) and Stephen’s (Jackson) first scene together is both hilarious and disturbing at the same time.

The Worst: Don’t drink four pints before watching this film! As with all QT films, Django Unchained is rich in dialogue and therefore quite long, clocking in well over two hours. It is also very bloody and the easily offended will find the continual use of the ‘N’ word uncomfortable, but hey – this is the Deep South in the early 19th century.

Verdict: Tarantino excels when it come to making cult classics. Ignoring the occasional self-involved side shows such as Four Rooms, Sin City and the Grindhouse / Death Proof collaboration, each of the feature films he has written and directed are all destined to be long-term classics. With Django Unchained the motor-mouth film geek is back to his brilliant best after a small dip with the Marmite-esque Inglorious Basterds. Not one for the overly sensitive, but then, what Tarantino film ever is?

Celluloid Influences: Kill Bill Volume 2 + The Good, The Bad and The Ugly = Django Unchained

Lee Durrant