Django Unchained

A Controversial Western Like No Other

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Release Date: 2012
Rating: 18
Running time: 165mins
Genre: Western/Adventure/Drama
Actors: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo Dicaprio

“I like the way you die boy”. 

Quentin Tarantino once again manages to outdo himself in his new Oscar winning Spaghetti Western of a freed slave turned Bounty Hunter. The first time I saw Django I was amazed at the how Tarantino was able to combine comedy, action and adventure into such a serious film. Of course like any Tarantino film there is a large amount of bloody gore involved that may require quite a strong stomach to view. What’s so fantastic about Tarantino’s style of filming is the over exaggerated use of the blood that makes the film more fantastically gory if not perhaps slightly more slapstick than a normal action or western. Having said this however I don’t think this takes anything away form the film as it does in a sense, lighten up the brutality and dark story line featured. This film mainly focuses on the central narrative of revenge and heroism but it cannot just be given a Western genre, specifically because it has so many other aspects to it as well; romance, comedy, action, gore, all underlined by the massive controversial issue of slavery.

In ‘Django Unchained’ we see Django (Jamie Foxx) and Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz) saddle up and set out on a blood splattered quest to save Django’s wife from an evil Mississippi slaver, Calvin Candie (Leonardo Dicaprio). The thing that surprised me the most with Django was how Dicaprio was able to play such a sadistically evil character compared to when he first started out in Titanic 15 years earlier where we see his acting career launch. This film however is very far off from where he first started and it’s actually quite hard to believe the difference in character. The film features an almost overdose of the ‘N’ word given that this film takes part during the time of the slave trade. Therefore as a result of this the film can be seen as very controversial and perhaps even upset or offend some audiences. In one particular scene we see Dicaprio hand a slave a hammer and tell him to murder another slave who is lying helplessly on the floor after a brutal wrestling match known as ‘Mandingo fighting’. This scene is very distressing and really emphasizes the brutality and evil that lurked within slavers at that time. The scene was actually awarded one of Hollywood’s most brutal scenes of all time which is not hard to believe given the realistic and historical connotations connected with it which would make it even harder to watch than just any gore fest. As well as this we also see a young slave girl being dragged along the ground and another depicts Django’s wife, Hildy (Kerry Washington), being whipped which is also very disturbing for viewers. However don’t let that shy you away from watching the film as the scenes discussed, as horrifying as they may be, is really able to capture the injustice that existed at that time that people should remember, which in a sense is what spurs on Django’s revenge.

Another actor playing a role that may differ to ones audiences have seen in the past is Christoph Waltz’s character of Dr. King Shultz. Arguably in Django he is almost a complete opposition to his previous role in Tarantino’s last film ‘Inglorious Basterds’ where he plays an evil Nazi colonel nicknamed ‘The Jew Hunter’. Waltz’s performance in Django however should be highly credited, given that his character was in my opinion both well written and brilliantly performed by the Austrian actor. The thing I found most likable about the character was how even in the dark period that the film was set, he was able to come across to the audience as both entertaining but moreover create a sense of ease for the audience. For me, Waltz was one my favourite things about ‘Dango Unchained’, an Oscar thoroughly deserved.

When I think of Django I think that it could of been filmed in two parts given the contrast between the first hour and the next hour and a half that followed. In the beginning we see Django freed and is taken under the wing of a German Bounty hunter Dr. Shultz. We see the two of them set out and track down enemies of the state all guns blazing, which is very trademark of Tarantino yet also brilliant viewing as it combines humor and action together to make a very worthwhile film. The layout of the first half of ‘Django Unchained’ works almost as both a tribute to the old 60’s westerns with scores from the music composer Ennio Morricone (also known for such films like ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’). Moreover I think that Django can be viewed as a very modern film despite being set 150 years ago due to the contemporary hip hop music used during such scenes as the shoot out, which makes it look seriously cool, like in the shootout and when the characters are en route to ‘Candie Land’, the house where Calvin Candie lives. The music is able to capture Django’s anger of the situation and also can provide a modern day feel to the film as well as racism is still a big issue today.

What makes ‘Django Unchained’ different to any western that audiences mightn't have seen before is how it’s able to give Black Americans a western folkloric hero, who is able to fight back against the evil that polluted the US at that time. What’s more I think everyone should be able to have connection with Django as there’s something in there for everyone. For me Django is a character who really stands out as a symbol of racial equality. As well as just this, Tarantino is able to really take the 19^th century western context and drive it home into the modern day to give it real feel agelessness by the way that it is still meaningful to the people of today and not just a story.

10/10