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A new Quentin Tarantino movie is something this reviewer is always looking forward to. Only with Death Proof did he disappoint me, something he made up for with the brilliant Inglourious Basterds two years later. On paper the synopsis to his movies never sound that great, but the way he turns these little ideas into full movies with original twists and turns at every corner is something incredible. Django Unchained is another movie of a filmography that’s already chock full of great movies.
In short Django Unchained is about a freed slave who learns the bounty hunting trade and then goes out to find and save his wife from slavery. Something which should fit in a 90 minute movie yet is stretched out to 165 minutes, and despite that I never looked at my watch. Once again has Tarantino delivered a movie that doesn’t present a simple quest, but gives the characters a journey and back stories.
To tell you anything more would be a shame as this movie is best enjoyed without knowing anything. Tarantino is a master at pulling off unexpected twists and therefor one never knows what direction the movie will head to. Another thing that is so great about Django is the casting, especially Christoph Waltz who now plays the total opposite of his Hans Landa character in basterds; an unbiased bounty hunter from Germany who doesn’t like the whole slavery thing. While Jamie Foxx as Django gets the brooding role, it’s Waltz who steals every scene he’s in beginning with an unforgettable entrance of him and his horse Fritz.
The main villainous roles are here for Don Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio who plays a dandy plantation owner. In terms of villainy he’s a notch down compared to people like Hans Landa or Stuntman Mike who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty. While spouting threats whilst holding a hammer, the most gruesome acts are done by his servants… he gives orders and at times seems more mellow that some of his staff. He isn’t an evil caricature, he is a businessman and his business is black people.
If there’s one bad thing about the Django I must mention, it’s that the ending had me wanting more, and we know how Tarantino is with sequels.
