While brimming with great actors, scenes, and styles, Tarantino mangles the tonally inconsistent third act

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2019)

Django succeeds in so many areas - it crosses many genres, and despite its long runtime is propulsive and enjoyable throughout. It does have a great script with both funny and tense interactions. The plot is simple but effective as we are drawn into Django's story and Schultz's thoughtfully planned adventures. There is no doubt about the quality of the cast - Foxx and Waltz are excellent and Di Caprio steals every scene he's in, with a manic gleam in his eye. Tarantino is still a terrible actor and should really stop indulging himself with relevant roles in his movies. Race is at the heart of the movie, and I think Tarantino did manage to portray the time period and ideas appropriately. Where the movie turned from an equally fun and tense, sharp experience was the frustrating third act. The plot is shaky in Schultz acting so rashly and not prepared to kill the other men after Candie, and to a lesser degree in the willingness of the men to listen to Django's plan from the start. The biggest problem was the shootout, where Tarantino clearly couldn't resist making it a gratuitous, over-the-top spectacle. The deaths were wildly visually exaggerated, and while the movie had cleanly balanced its humor and intensity earlier, the shootout discarded both in favor of superficial, bloody action. It was so jarring to me as a viewer, being transported to this completely different tone and cinematography style. The ending message also does simplify the more complex plot and thematic developments to Django being a badass and getting revenge and his girl, which was a small letdown. It is epic, and the scene where Who Did That To You started playing was invigorating, that shootout scene just took me out of the movie, and minor errors like that kept it from being the knockout I was so ready to proclaim it.