Django Unchained

Django Unchained (2012)
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

I will start this review by saying that Quentin Tarantino is my favorite director in the history of film. He is a fanboy that realized his dream of making films. He pays homage to films (both obscure and well known) in his work. He has never, in my opinion, made a bad movie. That being said, if you do not like Tarantino's style of film making then you will probably disagree with what I am about to say. That, however, does not matter to me.

Django Unchained is an incredibly well crafted film that does more for the Black community than it is getting credit for. I saw Django on Christmas Day and I can honestly say I have never had more fun in a theater on Christmas. I went with my mother and my girlfriend and all three of us thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I will start things off by discussing the stylistic choices that Tarantino made. If you are at all familiar with Tarantino's work then you might know about the so-called "Tarantino" or "Trunk" shot. Here is a YouTube clip of this in several of his films.

What he does here is simple yet it is a significant trademark. The audience is being talked to in these shots. Tarantino's characters are looking directly at the camera and are speaking to his audience. In his film Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino pulls off his trunk shot without a vehicle at all. This clip is graphic so skip it if you are squeamish.

After Aldo Raine carves the Swastika into Hans Landa's head we see a new version of the Tarantino shot. Instead of the camera being placed in the trunk we, the audience, have a first person view of Brad Pitt and B.J. Novak. We have become Hans Landa. Tarantino, speaking through Aldo Raine, says to us that what we just watched is his masterpiece. While it may be tongue in cheek (it's not) it is incredibly powerful when a filmmaker can speak directly to you without breaking the fourth wall. The Tarantino shot in Django Unchained is present in a more traditional sense. Towards the end, Django frees a group of caged slaves and he looks directly into the cart where they are being held. Because I saw this a few weeks ago I cannot remember what he says but it is in there.
Tarantino also borrows heavily from the Spaghetti Westerns of the 1960's. The Spaghetti Westerns were films made by Italian directors about the American West. The use of wide shots showing the hero on horseback against an empty desert is a widely used shot as well as quick zooms to the characters faces. Perhaps the most popular aspect of old Westerns, the shootout, is done in fantastic fashion in Django Unchained. It is incredibly violent but oh so satisfying!

Django Unchained's story is one that everyone can enjoy. A German bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) purchases Django (Jamie Foxx) because he is familiar with the people that he has been contracted to kill. Once that contract has been fulfilled, Schultz offers to help Django find his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) if he'll stay on as a partner in his bounty hunting endeavors. Django obliges. They trace Django's wife to Candyland which is run by the ruthless Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). The two must then figure out a way to either steal Broomhilda or purchase her from Candie.
Django Unchained has been getting criticized for its seemingly exorbitant use of the N word. We all know what N word I am talking about so lets be adults. What Tarantino has produced is a pretty accurate portrayal of America was in that time. Slavery is still legal in this story therefore the Black race is seen as property. There is no reason to make a film that is supposed to be accurate of the time it is set in and not use the terminology and language of the day. That would be like making a movie about a prison and having all the characters behing in a civil manner towards each other. It doesn't happen. I promise you that this is a film that the Black community can be proud of. Check out this video. Go to the 13:55 marker and watch Samuel L. Jackson's response to the interviewer. *Ignore Quentin Tarantino's strange ensemble*

If Jackson, Foxx, DiCaprio, Waltz, Washington, and Tarantino can stand behind what they have created then dammit, it's good enough for me!

No BS

Django Unchained is a fun film to watch but can be hard to digest for those not familiar with Tarantino's style or substance. It has several brutally violent scenes, brief nudity, tons of foul language, and of course portrays slavery. I cannot recommend this movie if any of that makes you uncomfortable. If you, on the other hand, do not care about any of that nonsense then by all means SEE THIS MOVIE!
My Score: 9.5/10