Django Unchained

With a look through Quentin Tarantino’s recent directorial credits, it’s clear the guy is working to cover all the different genres that interest him. Django Unchained is his western entry, but it’s definitely not your typical John Wayne or Clint Eastwood movie. Jamie Foxx plays the title character, a slave freed by a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) on a journey to find his wife, who was sold to a large plantation owned by a crazy person played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie fits with what one would expect from the eccentric filmmaker. His over-the-top style creates moments that are funny just because they are so out there. Obviously slavery is nothing to laugh at, but that conflict Tarantino presents between humor and horror is one of his trademarks.

The film’s actors are as strong as their star power would suggest. Foxx plays with a subdued anger throughout the movie that doesn’t always seem to fit as the right emotion. But he builds from a sympathetic character to a more feared personality. Waltz is able to combat his Academy Award winning villainy in Inglorious Basterds with this bounty hunter with a heart performance. He’s a perfect fit because Tarantino wrote the role for him, but beyond that, he has a range that can probably go further than what is asked of him in Django. DiCaprio’s rare turn as an antagonist is one of the film’s stand out aspects. The Creepy, sadistic slave owner brings the best out of those around him. A tense scene where he confronts Foxx and Waltz’s characters at the dinner table is gripping.

The film is probably a bit too long. There are two pretty well developed story arcs that may have benefited from being split into two different films. But the pace is by no means slow. The aesthetically impressive scenes that separate the action and gore from dialogue and story development are worth the audience’s attention from shot to shot. There’s no doubt Quentin Tarantino is crazy, crazy like a fox. This is his crazy western.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.