Review: Django Unchained

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Language: English
Rating: R
Running Time: 165 minutes

I probably should've posted this earlier, but I guess it isn't too late to say something about this movie. I wasn't in a rush to see it, but my mother convinced me otherwise.

Dr. King Schultz, a former dentist and German bounty hunter, sets out on a trip to find Django and set him free from slavery to help him identify three men. After succeeding with the goal, their bond becomes stronger and Django becomes Schultz's deputy bounty hunter, collecting profit from each body. Soon they set their sights on a ruthless plantation owner by the name of Calvin Candie where Django's wife has been held for quite some time.

I must admit that I had some concerns with this movie. It had nothing to do with the subject matter of slavery or the fact that Tarantino was directing, but it was the usage of the word "nigger" (the infamous "n-word"). I don't particularly like this word at all. I don't care who says it either, but I was afraid that the "n-word" would ruin my enjoyment of this movie, especially with Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson being part of it. Despite Leonardo DiCaprio being uncomfortable with saying it, which he should, I knew that Foxx and Jackson would have no problem tossing it around here and there. Much to my surprise, it wasn't carelessly tossed like a lot movies with profanity. I don't care for excessive profanity unless it has a purpose. It sounds odd and it's a little hard to explain. Anyway, it didn't bother too much, whether accurate or not, unfortunately my mother thought otherwise and felt uncomfortable with the language at times.

Anyway, I was really happy I saw this movie in theaters instead of waiting for the DVD release. It was quite a pleasant experience! This wasn't a movie about slavery or the hardships of being in that era. This was a revenge film. A topic that Tarantino has retold many times, but in very entertaining ways. He even cameoed with a small part.

Although the movie is quite lengthy, it wasn't bothersome as the story was very intriguing and yet again...entertaining. The atmosphere was realistic and everything transitioned smoothly. There is a great balance of comedy, action, and a little drama for audiences to grasp onto characters and feel something for, even if they were small. There might be a couple parts that drag a little, but it's usually worth it for the action. It's good to slow down, because oversaturating your movie with flashy explosions, high octane chases, and countless fight scenes can bring a good movie down to a bad one.

Lastly, I want to commend the actors of this movie. They went beyond my expectations. Foxx and Jackson toned themselves down, but still kept their energy and themselves through their characters. As I mentioned before, I was afraid of their language the most. Foxx was very subtle, but still maintained a lot of power as Django. He also made a smooth transition as the front man of the movie when it called for it. Christoph Waltz also did a great job as Dr. King Schultz. For part of the movie, he seemed more of the main character than Django, but still maintained a good balance of focus on Django through majority of the movie. The person who people are most impressed by is DiCaprio as the evil Calvin Candie. He did an amazing job showing no mercy and staying in character when he cut his hand during a scene. The supporting characters were also very enjoyable. Jackson surprised me with his role, which I won't go into detail about. Kerry Washington didn't have many speaking parts, but her role was pretty good as well.

If you haven't seen this movie, I have no idea what you're waiting for. This is a very entertaining and enjoyable movie to watch. I will give warning on the language if you're sensitive to profanity, but to me I don't think they over did it or anything. This is a great revenge flick that I'm sure Tarantino is proud of.


Rating: 4/5


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