Film Review: Django Unchained

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson

Rated: R    Distributor: Weinstein Company    Running Time: 165 min.

From the opening frame of the newest Quentin Tarantino project to the very last second of the entire 2 hr and 45 minutes, the companion film to the 1966 Sergio Corbucci project is entirely justified in its titled – Django has come unchained.

Harking back to Deep South 1859, our story unfolds upon its central character, Django (Jamie Fox) as a pre-Civil War slave in a chain gang being sought after by the German-born Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz). King has landed his sights on Django to point out the Brittle Brothers, a Stage Coach robbing family wanted dead or alive. As it just so happens Django was a previous slave of the Brothers and Dr. Shultz is a Bounty Hunter. So what’s in it for Django? Well…what every slave wants – simple as that.

In no time, our duo make their way to Bennett Manor, owned by the Big Daddy Bennett (outrageously played by Don Johnson) where we are thrust face-to-face with Schultz’s bounty and Django’s vengeance. Our hero takes down each Brittle Brother as if he were shooting fish in a barrel – emotional passion is wonderfully unveiled in a spectacle which audiences have come to expect from Foxx’s previous performances; the scene is so electric, you can feel every brutal blow Django delivers to his previous abusers.

Once having the Brittles out of the way and now freed, Django unveils that his wife Broomhilda von Shaft (Kerry Washington) has been sold to an unknown plantation for attempting escape from a previous owner, and he intends to find her and take her back. Thoroughly moved and with a sense of obligation, Dr. Shultz agrees to help Django on his quest while also enlisting Django in his bounty-hunting business.

As a slower paced film (esp. for Tarintino), like being in the Deep South – Django Unchained takes its sweet time moving through plot points and pace but by doing so greatly enhances the character interactions, motivations and dialogue. For the first 90 min of the story, Taraninto has spent time not only revealing the hidden education of Foxx’s new Bounty Hunter pupil status but also creating a wonderful buddy film that carries through the entire picture. Foxx takes his marks from Waltz’s lead as he earns his training and life lessons – track men for a living and shoot only when provoked or justified. It’s during this portion of the film we also get a glimpse into Django’s most revealing emotional scars through a series of sepia toned and well timed flashbacks which only help to fuel Django’s fire. And ultimately, like the Winter’s snow dissolves and Old Man Winter packs up, the story and our hero become triumphant and transformed.

Now armed with Morality, Vengeance, Sharp-Shooting Skills and a Director that knows no bounds, so begins the true quest of Django Unchained….

Filmmakers who choose to portray the shameful Slavery chapter of America’s past bear a certain responsibility not to sanitize it, but asking Tarantino to keep something dirty is like asking Sarah Silverman to talk about something offensive. Who else but Tarantino would choose to target human trafficking in the form of spaghetti Western set in the Deep South? Tarantino’s on sensitive turf here, and he knows it, but as most viewers know from his previous work our Director isn’t one to shy away from a brutal subject – most will be tackled with vigor and zealousness, and Django is no different. There is something in this film to offend everyone but each item is only offered in a way to enhance the story and not for effect.

As a Spaghetti Western, Django fills all the right spots to fill out the base genre but it also has Tarantino’s signature stamp all over it. The script explodes with violence and talk – and more talk and more talk. Yes, there is a lot of dialogue in this near 3-hour tour but none of the text is ever wasted. Tarantino freely quotes from his favorite stylistic sources, and it pays off huge. From homage text from the Good, Bad and the Ugly to a Mel Brooks’ Western spoof on a Klan rally, there’s no end to the subtle tributes that Tarantino has thrown into the mix. Even our Hero’s wife name is a combination of German legend with the greatest of blaxploitation heroes.

Visually, Cinematographer Robert Richardson has managed to beautifully shoot both sun and snow, while Editor Fred Raskin has done a marvelous job of adding slight touches of hangmen noose foreground shots, blood soaked cotton inserts and lightning-quick zooms to the ever-expansive scenery and atmospheric setting. And as opposed to the original material, Richardson has done a marvelous job of using the American landscapes to pay homage to earlier Western works but also to America itself. The lighting and tone are set perfectly to enhance the story and to set the scene.

Most fans of Tarantino also fall in love with his scores and soundtracks just as much as what’s happening on screen and for viewers of Django Unchained, the viewers won’t be disappointed again. With a soundtrack that includes a mixture of mash-ups (James Brown with Tupac Shakur), Originals (Rick Ross & John Legend) and Italian tribute (Ennio Morricone) – Django’s musical side will keep the audience fully engaged.

Jamie Foxx’s Django Freeman is a stocky, traditionally one-dimensional Tarantino character (think Uma Thurman in Kill Bill) and said character usually has only one purpose driving him through the film. While other films have pushed their plots further with less, Unchained would have benefitted a bit more with add some additional life in it’s Hero. Foxx himself does a nice job of giving the accurate fury and intensity within the role but for Tarantino, the job of Writer should probably be spent a bit more on your main character than your supporting roles.

Christoph Waltz’s Dr. King Schultz opens the film as a charming fur-coated German dentist and ends up fully engaging both the characters on film and the viewers in the seats. Waltz dominantly oozed a trustworthy and enveloping rotten-to-the-core soldier in Inglourious Basterds but takes a turn for the good inDjango as a well-educated and enlighten Bounty Hunter willing to doll our his disapprove for America’s Civil War claims of racial superiority.  Unlike Basterds, Waltz’s fur in Django is not one of wolf but one that helps keep the hunter warm in the landscapes of the chilly Plaines weather. While the performance isn’t as surprising and engrossing this time around, Waltz’s Shultz is every bit as wonderful as his first Tarantino contribution and you won’t feel despicable for wanting to the see more of the character this time round.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Mandingo trainer Candie is a dark as his tobacco-stained teeth and comes self-entitled as a member of the Royal Family but with Southern American upbringing.  While I don’t necessarily believe that DiCaprio is showing clout that we haven’t seen prior in other films, the performance is pin-point and extremely well done; as an viewer, you never know where the actor is going to go with his next step.

I wish I could say that this film should be seen by all, but that would be wishing too much. As good as this film is, there is a lot to which Tarantino will ultimately offend audiences who aren’t open to its message or frank dialogue or violence. If fact, if Spike Lee was offended by the N-Word in it’s use in 1997’s Jackie Brown, the 112 times QT uses the word in Django will certainly give Lee a small heart-attack.

Overall, Django Unchained is a dose of pure cinema that deserves multiple viewings. Perhaps Tarantino’s previous work was all a pre-cursor and training ground in Mexican standoffs and gratifying dialogue as the Director’s latest work is perhaps his most perfected on both topics Tarantino has displayed a filmmaker geekery of pulling off many elements in Italian operas, American Westerns and current Superviolence of today’s culture while wrapping it all up in a signature bow.

Could we see the Best Movie of the year come Tarantino? Well I’m not going to emphatically say yes but come Oscar time, don’t be surprised to see Django’s Director on this year’s ballot.

Other notable Performances:  Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen, the head of Candie’s household is a toxic representation of black-on-black violence.

Film Grade: A

~ Matt Miles, Producer of Fresh Roasted Films