“Django Unchained” delivers with overwhelming success
January 29, 2013
Having five Oscar nominations already under its belt, “Django Unchained” qualifies as an accomplished movie. And with a great cast, including Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, it has an excellent foundation for success.
“Django Unchained” has already been nominated for five Golden Globes, claiming two for best screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, while Waltz usurped DiCaprio for best supporting actor. With the Golden Globes often a precursor for Oscar success, “Django Unchained” certainly has a good chance of winning more accolades. The two standout performances are from Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson, who is despicably funny as DiCaprio’s right-hand man.
This Tarantino film has already surpassed the box office earnings of its 2009 predecessor “Inglorious Basterds.” Although high earnings are no indication of a movie’s quality, it does show the popularity of the film and how quickly it’s spreading by word of mouth. This film was not advertised substantially compared to most big productions these days, but since there are many Tarantino fans, there was a lot of anticipation around its release.
“Django Unchained” was released on Christmas Day, which paid off, as the hype surrounding the film played into its box office numbers. It’s a great film for the whole family – except children, of course – to enjoy. Some people even left their traditional Christmas meals early just to watch it.
The film is made from the incredible, crazy and imaginative mind of Tarantino. The story takes place in the Deep South, pre-Civil War era, where Django (Foxx), a slave, is bought out by a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Waltz). Schultz agrees to grant Django his freedom as long as he accompanies Schultz in his bounty hunting job. He then agrees to an arrangement with Schultz to find his wife, Broomhilda (Washington), who was last seen on a rich landowners farm, belonging to Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).
As with much of Tarantino’s work, this movie is both incredibly violent and incredibly funny. “Django Unchained” pays homage to many films, but specifically comedy western “Blazing Saddles” and 70’s blaxploitation films featuring Fred Williamson. It does not matter whether audiences have seen these influences, but it is enjoyable to see where the film takes its direction from.
The film is shot in various styles to complement the intricate plot; some scenes are like a traditional western, while action scenes take advantage of amazing special effects and innovative camera angles.
“Django Unchained” is a long movie, with a run time of two hours and 45 minutes, but it does not drag on and remains enjoyable throughout. Tarantino does his best to ensure that his viewers will have no lingering thoughts or guesses, ending the film off with an empathic finish, tying up loose ends and leaving no chance of a sequel.
The film has an immense amount of adult language, which explains its R rating. Spike Lee has publicly boycotted it because of the use of the “N” word in a careless, trivialized manner. Lee’s criticisms are unfounded, as Tarantino does an excellent job of balancing historical accuracy with a sensational story. The film has stirred up a lot of talk around the subject matter of slavery and race relations, but from a pure entertainment standpoint, the film exceeds in all areas.
“Inglorious Basterds” may not have met up with all audiences’ expectations, but “Django Unchained” will win over anyone. Tarantino’s insanely brilliant mind will have people laughing, crying and cowering in fear of his wild imagination.
Rachel Arlin can be reached at [email protected]
dave • May 1, 2013 at 11:44 pm
One of the best movies I’ve seen in years.
I agree that it is violent at times and if you can’t take it, then
just look away. I didn’t find it as offensive as more recent action
movies however. Mostly hyped up in my opinion.
It shows the violence of the period and how slavery was
a part of the culture, in a lot of the South, but especially abhorrent
in the State of Mississippi. There is sympathy, dark humor or dark comedy,
action, adventure, bonding, and love.
Anyone who is interested in that part of history, the western, or slavery, should
watch this movie. Or if you are just a fan of movies or Director Quintin Tarantino in general.
I consider it that good of a movie. Definitely not for kids but I would recommend adult supervision if you have kids or skip over the more gruesome parts. Violence has always been a part of human nature and slavery actually comes and goes throughout history. Of course in this digital and internet age, it is hard to imagine a return, but do remember that in some parts of the world, slavery does exist along with forced prostitution, human trafficking of kids and adults, especially females. It’s a movie that shows reality but not to undercut the great bond between Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx in this movie. At the very least, go watch it for the pure enjoyment of what the movies were made for, even if by now, you can only rent or buy the dvd (recommend buy on this one) and just watch it on your high definition television sets. Superb film and will become a classic, if it has not by now.