Most accessible Tarantino film till date

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 2013)

Being a movie buff, I was well acquainted with Quentin Tarantino for his master-work in two exquisite projects Pulp Fiction (1994) Inglorious Basterds (2009). That is why I was more eager than usual for watching his 2012 movie, Django Unchained starring Christoph Waltz, Jamie Fox & Leonardo DiCaprio in lead roles. The title comes from Django, 1966 western drama starring Franco Nero who happens to make a remarkable cameo in Django Unchained. The horror that Django Unchained expresses isn't of slavery, but of a filmmaker attempting historical but a entertaining endeavor while shackled by his own superior persona.
Tarantino found an appropriate channel to exhibit aggression & violence in a dramatic manner. The plot is set up in the year 1958 post Civil War where black negroes were traded, enslaved and tortured in return of money.
The opening sequence depicts two brothers Ace Speck & Dicky Speck with several chained Negro slaves being taken to a place somewhere in Texas. Among those slaves is Django, the slave who is determined to save his wife Broomhilda who is being separated from him during an auction. The Speck brothers during their travel are interrupted by a dentist turned bounty hunter Dr King Schultz (Waltz) who offers to buy Django from the Speck brothers but ends up shooting one & injuring other severely since they refuse to initiate the sale & Django gets unchained.
Schultz offers Django complete freedom if he identifies the Brittle brothers whom Schultz, being a bounty hunter is required to kill. It somehow happens that Django has the ability to recognize the Brittle brothers as he had worked in their plantations before being auctioned to wilderness. The two go on bounty hunting rampage when finally Schultz gets so enamored to Django that he offers to aid him in his search to rescue Broomhilda. There is more to Django than just a bounty hunter's right hand. Django has forbidden love for his wife which he restricts from reflecting on his face as he has Broomhilda on his mind even after being separated from her. Cinematically Tarantino has represented it rather beautifully.
The underlying soul of the film is that the freedman Django & the hit-man Schultz are pitted against Calvin Candie, the owner of Candyland plantation & his butcher Stephen to save Broomhilda who is working as a slave in Candyland. The violence is outsize and enormous but not disturbing and Tarantino has successfully created a niche to showcase on screen violence with several blood splashing & spilling scenes. The action sequences are blood, gore & comedy-rolled together thus keeping us entertained all the way.
Christoph waltz ought to get thumbs up for playing a scrupulous, lethal & politely taunting bounty hunter. Even the role of antagonist Calvin Candie is played beautifully by DiCaprio as he succeeds to look both well-mannered as well as purely evil displaying sheer splendor & ability.
'Django Unchained' is 165 minutes long and is filled with moments of agonizing & teased out action and surprises in casting as well as the story. Some people may have criticized the director on how racist the film happens to be but if you still throughout the film; you can discover plenty of scenes for the audience to engage in. The world created by Tarantino in film is not just of misery and pain but one having sarcasm, racism, extreme violence and reprehensible people.