January 1, 2013


In typical Quentin Tarantino fashion, Django Unchained is violent and controversial. But it’s also brilliant. If you can wrap your head around the 2.5 hours you’ll be in the theater, it is worth it.



It’s 1858, Django (Jamie Foxx) and his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) are sold separately as a slave auction in Mississippi. On a journey to a plantation, Django, his new owners and other slaves encounter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Dr. Schultz tells the owners that he’d like to purchase Django from them. When they don’t oblige, he kills one of them and leaves the other injured. He then reveals that he is actually a bounty hunter, who hides behind his old dental practice. Dr. Schultz informs Django that he needs his help to track down the Brittle brothers, whom Django has encountered in the past.



During their journey to the plantation where the Brittle brothers are believed to be, the pair become friends and Dr. Schultz informs Django he doesn’t believe in slavery. After killing the Brittle brothers, Dr. Schultz and Django partner up in the bounty hunting business for the winter and in exchange, Schultz will help Django find his wife.



In the beginning, Django is hesitant with killing people, but soon he is a master bounty hunter with Schultz. And then the two are on their way to Mississippi to find Broomhilda. They learn that she was sold to Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). He owns Candieland, where his male slaves are forced to perform in ‘to the death’ fights called Mandingo fighting and his female slaves are forced into prostitution.  Schultz and Django devise a plan to head to Candieland under the guise they are interested in buying a slave fighter. They almost get away with it until Candie’s servant and right-hand man Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) figures out why they are really there, for Broomhilda. They all settle the deal and Schultz purchases Broomhilda for $12,000, after which he gives her her freedom. However, Schultz, sick of Candie’s attitude and racism, shoots Candie and ultimately gets killed. Django then goes on a shooting rampage of the mansion. He surrenders to Stephen, who sells him to a mining company. Django, however, tricks the transports and heads back to Candieland to rescue Broomhilda.



This movie had it all. Action, gore, comedy and romance. I have to admit, the racism and the way they treated black people, was very hard to watch. But Foxx is fantastic, you can’t help but root for him, even when he’s killing everyone. Jackson plays an excellent racist black man, it’s hard to believe at times, that he could hate his own essentially. DiCaprio is also fantastic as a creepy plantation owner, a perfect combination of dumb and smart. And Waltz is genuine as the bounty hunter who just wants to bring justice to this world, especially the way he sacrifices himself at the end, just because he can’t stand the way Candie treats people.

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Note that this film has nothing to do with the Django made in 1966. However, the actor that played Django in that film has a cameo in this film who loses a mandingo fight to Candie.



Everyone should definitely see this film. It’s phenomenal.