Django Unchained

(2012, Quentin Tarantino)

Quentin Tarantino has come on a long, varied journey since Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994). The ride has been mostly enjoyable with a few missteps here and there. I was not a fan of Inglorious Basterds (2009) though aspects of it are great. The greatest thing about that film was the incomparably good Christoph Waltz. It is around Christoph Waltz's fine performance that Django Unchained revolves. Jaime Foxx is decent as Django and there are some nice nods and cameos as well as some fun character actor performances but it is the truly sensitive acting of Waltz that keeps the cheese of Django at bay-- at least until the end. The pulpy grindhouse vibe is clearly what Tarantino is enamored with and generally it works. A gorefest Peckinpah might appreciate. Virtually no nudity and a view of slavery that, while heightened and hyperbolized, does not hide from the absolute horror that was slavery in the 1860's South. There is good social commentary here, beneath the surface, and I've no doubt many people will not be able to handle Django on many levels. The ubiquitous use of the "n" word may inspire drinking games. . . .

This is a western and it works as a western. The music is good when it is morriconian and not good when it is anachronistically rap laden-- not because hip hop can't work or the songs are not ok-- it is simply because it is distracting. So what did I really think? Jamie Foxx is fine. Christoph Waltz is awesome. I liked seeing Tom Savini,  Zoë Bell, and Michael Parks hidden in there and Franco Nero was a nice add among others.  Location shooting in Louisiana worked as the South but Southern California will never look like anywhere but California.  Just one question: why does SoCal's Leo DiCaprio always play southerners? At least Brad Pitt is from Oklahoma/Missouri. . . ha ha
 (6/7)

Trailer