Django Unchained (2012)

 

It's no secret Quentin Tarantino is an avid fan of exploitation cinema, which also explains why he remade some of those films in his own vein. 'Inglorious Basterds' was the first, this one the second. It turns out to be an enjoyable western with many of the trimmings, but it is tainted by two minor issues: it's too long and the middle part slows to a crawl. 

Other than that, heck, you could do a lot worse.

This is the story of Django, a slave who gets sold because unbeknownst to his owner, he got married to Broomhilda, another slave at the same plantation. Yet fortune seems to smile on Django, as he is rescued by a German bounty hunter named King Schultz, who at first needs Django's help to identify some evildoers, but who very soon forms a partnership and bond with our lead. They really hit it off and Schultz promises to help Django find his wife. 

But this is where the problems begin, as Django's spouse is now owned by Calvin Candie, an absolutely ruthless plantation owner and alround bastard of a man. Yet, Schultz and Django hatch a plan to pose as slavers interested in buying fighting black men (called Mandingos), but secretly trying to free Broomhilda. It doesn't get any easier when the old house slave Stephen sees through their ruse and Calvin ups the ante... 

Perfect setup for a shootout, wouldn't you say? Well, you will get it, but not at the climax climax, funnily enough. When it comes, it's pretty balls-to-the-wall brutal though. 

This film starts with a bang: it's fast-paced; very, very funny at times (the part with Don Johnson is sidesplitting) and both Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz are utterly charming. You sometimes get the feeling Tarantino overcompensates Waltz' niceness after portraying the despicable Hans Landa in 'Inglorious Basterds'. But hey, it works well and the friendship between the two men steadily grows and feels a natural progression. So is the idea of rescuing Django's wife. But the main issue with this film is that it slows down so immensely once they reach Calvin Candie's plantation Candyland. It's not hard to see that Tarantino wanted the audience to fully grasp how evil and despicable Candie truly is, but a better pacing would have helped. 

DiCaprio is excellent as Candie, by the way. He's not just some slimy white supremacist, he is devious and dirty and other negative words beginning with d-. Good show. The same goes for Samuel Jackson, who feels evil, but is mainly a survivor, which turns him into an utter bastard. 

The final final climax/coda does feel a bit tacked on, though. 

All in all, a good film, but not an exceptional one. Like stated, the pacing is a bit off and some of the tonal shifts don't really gel all that well. It's understandable they went for contrasts, but it does feel a bit jarring at times. It's also a safe bet that if Tarantino's penchant for swearing and ultra-violence doesn't tickle your fancy, this one won't either.