revenge is a dish best served cold

Rating: 10/10 (30 December 2012)

If you thought that Quentin Tarantino had gotten as hilariously ludicrous as possible with "Inglourious Basterds", wait 'til you see "Django Unchained". Based on a series of spaghetti westerns, it depicts a former slave looking for his wife...and getting revenge in the process. Jamie Foxx plays the title character whose unexpected acquaintance with a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) sets on a path to reunite with his beloved (Kerry Washington).
Since this is a Tarantino movie, there's naturally a lot of graphic violence done in very good taste. But probably the most surprising thing is Leonardo DiCaprio's role. So far he's pretty much always played likable characters. Here his role is that of a deliciously evil plantation owner who has what appears to be an incestuous relationship with his sister. Equally impressive is Samuel L. Jackson's role as the house (N word). Not only does Jackson naturally use his common word - the one that graced his wallet in "Pulp Fiction" and dominated the famous line in "Snakes on a Plane" - but he turns the Uncle Tom character into someone who looks down on blacks as much as any slave-owner. Django, meanwhile, often gives everyone a soft stare while the bounty hunter leads the conversation.
As is Tarantino's protocol, he gives a bunch of forgotten and/or retired stars supporting roles: Don Johnson and Bruce Dern play slave-owners; Dennis Christopher ("Breaking Away") plays an assistant; Ted Neeley ("Jesus Christ Superstar"), Robert Carradine ("Revenge of the Nerds") and Tom Savini (the famous makeup artist) play trackers; and Franco Nero (the original Django) plays a man who understands the pronunciation. Jonah Hill appears in the movie's funniest scene.
It all adds up to one really good movie. So far Quentin Tarantino (who appears as a mining company employee) has not disappointed, and I'm very eager to see his next movie. You know that he'll do something neat. In the meantime, "Django Unchained" is one for the ages! If you haven't seen the original "Django", it's also worth seeing.