Review: Django Unchained Is As Grim As It Is Fun
- Jul 13, 2018
- 2 min read
Quentin Tarantino has frequently referenced the Spaghetti Westerns throughout his films. Be it Death Rides A Horse, the various shootouts of Sergio Leone, or his constant use of Ennio Morricone's legendary scores, it was inevitable that he would make his own.
Django (Jamie Foxx), one slave amongst many, finds himself recruited by the charismatic Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a dentist turned wandering bounty hunter. Schultz doesn't need Django as a slave, but he does need what he knows, the identities of the trio he's hunting. After a series of successful hunts, Schultz and Django form a deal. The two will work together to find Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), owned by the villainous Francophile Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Things will get bloody.
Django Unchained, while maybe not Tarantinio's best work, it's certainly his most memorable. From almost all the dialogue, which is instantly quotable, to the over-the-top characters and gun fights, Unchained never ceases to entertain. Packing Tarantino's trademark quickfire writing alongside an endlessly stylish soundtrack creates the quintessential idea of Tarantino.
Waltz and Foxx make for excellent leads, and Waltz dominates the first two thirds or so of the film with ease. His charm and wit is instantly endearing, so much so it earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Things change when the villains, DiCaprio's Candie and longtime Tarantino alumni Samuel L Jackson's Stephen, arrive on screen. It seems that both are trying to not only out-act each other, but also Waltz, which makes for some truly glorious sequences of dialogue.
Things are not all fun and games however. For once, it seems that Tarantino has something of a message here. It's a pretty simple one, 'slavery is bad', but it is here. Tarantino paints a pretty grim picture of the whole deal, from brutal slave fights, his grimmest death to date, and the casual racism of many of the characters. It really helps to ground what is an otherwise outrageous film, and hammers home the reality of much of it.
Throw in some trademark blood soaked action in which people bleed more than the average person has blood, and you've got yourself a damn good time. Django Unchained is Tarantino for the modern age, and a film that will live on forever.
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