Ephemeris of the Mind (Film Review) Django Unchained
Time to read: 2 min read
Movie Poster
Hey, little troublemaker.
Previous Tarantino reviews:
- Inglourious Basterds
- Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
- Sin City
- Pulp Fiction
- Reservoir Dogs
- Four Rooms
Review
Tarantino brings his characteristic flare to the antebellum South. Jamie Foxx plays Django, a former slave who teams up with a German bounty hunter Dr. Shultz (Christoph Waltz). The two travel to Candyland, the infamous plantation of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), in order to rescue Django's enslaved wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).
The story is a classic Western journey of daring revenge. While the plot is straightforward, the screenplay is very tight and engaging, filled with catchy dialogue and interesting characters. Foxx's Django is the archetypal stoic and silent Western hero and I really enjoyed his chemistry and foil with Waltz's lively and talkative Shultz. Waltz's ability and broad range to be both a sinister villain (from Inglourious Basterds) and a relatable anti-hero in this film is very impressive. The two top performances for me, however, is the DiCaprio's bloodthirsty and intense Candie and Samuel L. Jackson's subservient and pathetic Stephen.
Having rewatched this film multiple times, each watching revealed small details like the various old-west and spaghetti-western references, such as Franco Nero's cameo, and historical tidbits, such as the pseudoscience on human phrenology. The catchy score, over-the-top violence, and Tarantino's visual panache, all make for an entertaining film.
Conclusion
One of Tarantino's best.