Messy and empty

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2013)

The plot: Django is a slave, rescued by Dr Shultz because Django can identify some wanted men; the two then team up as bounty hunters, and eventually rescue Django's wife.
The cinematography is good; the film has a nice gritty look to it, and looks authentic. Tarantino writes quite well, and the dialogue is snappy. There's plenty of gratuitous violence and over-the-top blood splatters.
The script is a bit uneven. The plot meanders here and there, and some of the set-ups don't pay off. For example, the opening few scenes set up Dr Shultz and Django as bounty hunters, but the film never really takes advantage of it. Yes, we see them killing a wanted criminal, but it's just a minor piece that is referenced later in the film, rather than a plot point. A more substantial use of the idea would have benefited the film greatly.
But while it's got plenty of style, it ultimately lacks substance. Whilst watching it I was mostly entertained, but by the end it had left no impression on me. I recognise that it's only meant to be light entertainment, but the film left me wanting something more. There's plenty of southern racism, and Di Caprio plays the villainous Candie very well, but the film really lacks any sort of emotional core.
There's no cheering for the good guy because despite the evil baddies, the good guy barely acts at all. Jamie Foxx is so devoid of any sort of emotion it's hard to know if he's even got a pulse. The other characters are paper thin and lacking any sort of depth. With so much potentially incendiary material to be found in America's racist past, Tarantino is either oblivious to it, or ignorant of it.
All in all it's not a bad film. Tarantino is a talented filmmaker, but a lousy story-teller.