Django Unchained
Go! Tarantino + Cowboys x Slavery = Hell YES.
Slave's quest to save his wife.
Quentin Tarantino has been writing, directing and producing critically acclaimed films since he first sliced off an ear in 1992's Reservoir Dogs. That film forged the Tarantino Template - a flavoursome concoction made with two spoons of controversy; six cups of blood; diced with razor-sharp dialogue; baked with scene-defining music; flambéed with a badass character and served crisp with a liberal garnish of Samuel L. Jackson. In that same vein, Django Unchanined is definitely not from Delia Smith's cookbook. So, let's be having you.
After dramatically killing Hitler in his last film, Inglorious Basterds, here, Tarantino takes on the deeply emotive issue of American slavery. The tale follows Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx, Ray) who transforms himself from slave to bounty hunter in a bid to rescue his wife from a plantation. With that as the pot, what of the ingredients?
First, the controversy - here in the shape of unadulterated carpeting of N-bombs throughout the film. This is part of the (albeit fictionalised) historical accuracy in Django, so basically, we should all get over it. Using the word might make people uncomfortable but hells bells so it should! To understate it, slavery was an abomination and this film is a rare, challenging reflection of that, elevating it beyond pure entertainment into a subversive historic commentary. Which is a good thing. Bring us the controversy QT and we'll eat it up.
After dramatically killing Hitler in his last film, Inglorious Basterds, here, Tarantino takes on the deeply emotive issue of American slavery. The tale follows Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx, Ray) who transforms himself from slave to bounty hunter in a bid to rescue his wife from a plantation. With that as the pot, what of the ingredients?
First, the controversy - here in the shape of unadulterated carpeting of N-bombs throughout the film. This is part of the (albeit fictionalised) historical accuracy in Django, so basically, we should all get over it. Using the word might make people uncomfortable but hells bells so it should! To understate it, slavery was an abomination and this film is a rare, challenging reflection of that, elevating it beyond pure entertainment into a subversive historic commentary. Which is a good thing. Bring us the controversy QT and we'll eat it up.
Plenty of blood is poured onto the piece, with exploding human heads, brutal maimings and other bodily abuse. Is it excessive? Or is it a commensurate and fantastical demonstration of the brutality of the time? Either way, it all has a slapstick character to it, but the answer will likely depend on how sensitive you are to exploding heads.
Great dialogue is a Tarantino speciality, and there is plenty of uber-wit in Django to keep us chuckling. Christoph Waltz excels as Django's German bounty-hunting mentor and Leonardo Di Caprio is spectacular as Calvin Candie - a vicious and flamboyant, francophone plantation owner. They each sizzle like smoky bacon with every dry remark and raised eyebrow, making for 165 minutes of searingly enjoyable entertainment.
To compliment his carefully chosen words, Quentin raids the musical pantry and stirs the dish with saucy, spaghetti western tunes by Morricone, a James Brown and 2Pac melange, a dash of John Legend, a little scoop of Beethoven, some hand-torn Jonny Cash and much more besides - all to tantalising, goose-bumping effect. By grinding modern American hip-hop into a slavish revenge story, the soundtrack becomes both elegantly profound and, most importantly, damn cool.
Which brings us neatly to the film's badass. In real life, Jamie Foxx is cool enough as it is - charming Oscar winning actor by day, seductive R&B singer by night... and his name is Foxx for crying out loud. With two exes! But as Django – a rampaging, smooth-talking, quick-shooting, ex-slave; taking on slave masters to rescue his woman?! In a cowboy hat?! On a horse?! Damn. He oozes swagger and steel, but still with an honourable streak of vulnerability. He is the baddass Mr Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet would not have stood a chance.
Great dialogue is a Tarantino speciality, and there is plenty of uber-wit in Django to keep us chuckling. Christoph Waltz excels as Django's German bounty-hunting mentor and Leonardo Di Caprio is spectacular as Calvin Candie - a vicious and flamboyant, francophone plantation owner. They each sizzle like smoky bacon with every dry remark and raised eyebrow, making for 165 minutes of searingly enjoyable entertainment.
To compliment his carefully chosen words, Quentin raids the musical pantry and stirs the dish with saucy, spaghetti western tunes by Morricone, a James Brown and 2Pac melange, a dash of John Legend, a little scoop of Beethoven, some hand-torn Jonny Cash and much more besides - all to tantalising, goose-bumping effect. By grinding modern American hip-hop into a slavish revenge story, the soundtrack becomes both elegantly profound and, most importantly, damn cool.
Which brings us neatly to the film's badass. In real life, Jamie Foxx is cool enough as it is - charming Oscar winning actor by day, seductive R&B singer by night... and his name is Foxx for crying out loud. With two exes! But as Django – a rampaging, smooth-talking, quick-shooting, ex-slave; taking on slave masters to rescue his woman?! In a cowboy hat?! On a horse?! Damn. He oozes swagger and steel, but still with an honourable streak of vulnerability. He is the baddass Mr Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet would not have stood a chance.
Finally, as always, to Samuel L. Jackson – the man whose list of films have made more money than any other actor's in history. In this, his fifth Tarantino film, he is wisely cast as the Head House Slave, Stephen - the person most reviled by other slaves, other than slave owners themselves. In this role, he is brilliant - a mean and awful man, gnarled by his own misplaced power. The cackling lapdog to Di Caprio's juicily evil slave owner, he acts his white eyebrows off.
With all these fine ingredients, Django Unchained is not only a brilliant film but also a great, atypical Western in its own right. Django is a fantastic character, who comes from emasculation and oppression to gain seemingly unstoppable power and good fortune. In that respect, behind the thick and thorny foliage of racial slurs, controversy and exploding heads there is a sun-kissed clearing telling a tale about salvation, self-determination, the correction of ills and the forcefulness of love. What could be more badass than that?
So go, without hesitation. Even if you're worried by violence and swearing - see past it and you'll find so, so much beyond. An archetypal, but never predictable Tarantino dish. Hot, spicy and ready to eat.
With all these fine ingredients, Django Unchained is not only a brilliant film but also a great, atypical Western in its own right. Django is a fantastic character, who comes from emasculation and oppression to gain seemingly unstoppable power and good fortune. In that respect, behind the thick and thorny foliage of racial slurs, controversy and exploding heads there is a sun-kissed clearing telling a tale about salvation, self-determination, the correction of ills and the forcefulness of love. What could be more badass than that?
So go, without hesitation. Even if you're worried by violence and swearing - see past it and you'll find so, so much beyond. An archetypal, but never predictable Tarantino dish. Hot, spicy and ready to eat.
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