Dark past of human history is rarely so enjoyable.

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2019)

'Django Unchained' might be the most controversial movie Quentin Tarantino has ever written and directed. I remember some uproar it caused when it was first released - some composers and actors refused to work with Quentin Tarantino ever again. Many people were upset about the violence and how slavery was depicted. Tarantino has stated himself that he later re-edited some scenes to tone down the violence. My personal opinion is that he made the right choice. Not that I can't stomach the violence (on the screen), but on some occasions the horrors we can't see can have a bigger impact. The scene with the runaway slave and dogs - when we hear the screams of the victim from the background while we see into the cruel eyes of Leonardo DiCaprio's Calvin Candie - it is haunting. As it is a Tarantino movie, one can expect over two hours long well-paced epic with magnificent dialogue and scene-setting. The acting is perfect with many actors doing some of their best jobs here. The balance between some of the quiet performances and that perfect little notch of over-the-top is just fantastic.
'Django Unchained' is filmmaking done right - pure stylish genre movie with social commentary. And with that 'Django Unchained' might be the most important film about slavery in recent decades (yeah, take that '12 Years of Slave').