Django Unchained Review

Before Django Unchained even got into theaters it was showered with controversy, and in Hollywood a film with it's fair share of controversy is always always a sign of a great movie or a grand flop. For Django Unchained it was definitely a precursor to another genius film by Quentin Tarantino. As one could expect out of your usual Tarantino film it was mix of colorful characters, great dialogue, a unique selection of musical scores, and exciting splashes of violence. This film wasn't short on unforgettable scenes and unforgettable characters. With the help of an elite cast consisting of Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel Jackson and Kerry Washington each embodying their characters in a spectacular fashion. 

The movie starts out with Django played by Jamie Foxx and  a small group of slaves being hauled across open land by two slave traders. As the opening credits end we meet a traveling dentist, Dr.Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who after an interesting introduction forcefully buys Django from the two slave traders. When Django and the Dr.Schultz get to the nearest town, Dr.Schultz reveals to him that he is not a dentist but a bounty hunter. He then makes a deal with Django to give him his freedom if he aids him in collecting the bounty on a group of bandits known as the Brittle brothers. Django accepts and aids him in the capture of the Brittle brothers. After collecting the bounty on the brothers Django tells the doctor the story of him and his wife Broomhilda. Who were separated after they ran away together and were recaptured. The doctor then decides to assist Django on his quest to rescue his wife.

 Throughout the movie we run into great scene after great scene. This new school spaghetti western pays proper homage to the spaghetti westerns of old. However the slave drama added in by Tarantino also gives a dramatic and emotional connection that is was not always present in the old spaghetti westerns. From beginning to end our two heroes battle not only gunslingers but racial prejudice and cruelty. As said earlier this movie was surrounded by controversy, because of  the way it treads on a sensitive racial issue. However this film was historically accurate, in good context and always generally on the side of minorities.

No other character in Django stood out as much as the main character played by Jamie Foxx. During the casting process Tarantino almost chose Will Smith for the role, and it's a good thing he didn't. Jamie Foxx seemed like he was born to play Django. The character of a black man freed from slavery with a heart filled with malice towards his oppressors. Django, without a doubt might have been the most bad-ass character to ever be in a western movie, one could actually call him a western superhero.

For 165 minutes you will experience a complete plethora of brilliance. The dialogue could easily compel any one to quote lines for the next few days after seeing it. Especially some of the quirky and intelligent phrases that come out of the mouth of Christoph Waltz's character Dr.Schultz. The music was unique and for the first time in a Tarantino film included rap music, a track called "100 black coffins" by Rick Ross. The cinematography and camera angles were superb, they had the style that Tarantino always carries in his films. Meanwhile they were reminiscent of camera angles and had the look of westerns from the early days of Clint Eastwood's career. The plot being the true high point of this film, was exceptional. A mostly straight forward narrative, leading us down a path to an action packed ending.

For any one who hasn't seen it already it's this writers suggestion that you get to your local theater while Django is still in theaters. It's a great movie made by the great write/director Quentin Tarantino, and performed by an all star cast of  elite actors and actresses. As a film it is little on faults and full of unforgettable moments.