Movie Review: Django Unchained

Photo: whogottherole.com

Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” followed true Tarantino form in that it was bloody, graphic, filled with snide comments, a twisted plot, redemption and a Tarantino cameo. Spike Lee may not agree with Tarantino’s depiction of slavery but I for one did not find the film offensive and enjoyed the clever take of a former slave’s road to rescue and free his wife.

As an African American woman I am educated and aware of the histories of my ancestors and understand that Tarantino is a film maker who has a goal to sell movie tickets and create buzz around his projects. He’s not a history teacher nor has he ever been so it’s not his job to educate a viewer on the history of slavery. Viewers should keep it mind that “Django Unchained” is a fictional MOVIE made for Hollywood. So now allow me to get off my soapbox and give my review of the film.

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Although Jamie Foxx, who plays the lead character in ‘Django’, wasn’t Tarantino’s first choice as male lead, he gave a stellar performance as a headstrong protagonist alongside Christoph Waltz’s character Dr. King Schultz, who is one of many that stole the show. Dr. Schultz is a bounty hunter on the search for wanted men and collects money for them – dead or alive. Schultz is looking for a particular group of men that only Django can identify so he ends up stealing Django from being transported to a plantation, offers him freedom in exchange for helping him track down these men. This leads to a very bloody human transaction and gave the audience the initial blood splatter to be expected in a QT movie.

Django soon reveals to Schultz that he would like to find and save his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) who was taken from him. Schultz warns Django that traveling to Mississipi, where Broomhilda may have been sold, will be very dangerous but he agrees to serve as a guardian if you will for Django in his quest. This is where the hilarious supporting characters come into play: plantation and slave owner of Candie Land Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and loyal house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson). Although this film was characterized as a western drama the comedic relief for this tale came strong with DiCaprio and Jackson on the screen.

Photo: The Weinstein Company

The dynamic between DiCaprio and Jackson was simply electrifying to watch. Their back and forth banter will make the entire roar with laughter and forget the heavy nature surrounding the movie. This film reminded me what great actors these two are and how exceptionally well DiCaprio has aged. I mean the guy looks just as good as he did in his “Titanic” days. The one thing that bothered me, well I shouldn’t say bothered more than it made me chuckle, was the way DiCaprio’s character Candie said “w” words. It was very “cool whip” from Family Guy. But all jokes and bloody corpses aside, “Django Unchained” was visually beautifully yet a little too long for my taste. After while I feel the plot was just getting dragged through the mud and I just wanted to know if Django would FINALLY save his love from this “Groundhog’s Day” hell she had to keep repeating.

“Django Unchained” is indeed a film worth seeing if not just to see what the big fuss is about but to cross off your film bucket list. It’s filled with surprising day players including Jonah Hill, Don Johnson and Amber Tamblyn along with an explosive ending. My advice to you is to take a nap before you go see it and be sure to cover your eyes if you are the faint of heart; you can totally anticipated where guts will appear in this movie. Overall, I give this film four glamberous fingertips up!

Photo: The Weinstein Company