He's back.

Rating: 7/10 (19 January 2013)

If Quentin Tarantino wasn't making movies he'd probably be killing people, so we should all probably be a little grateful that he is actually still making movies. It's become commonplace to fall in love with his films, and then swiftly disregard them as the the exploitative rip-offs that they have become; films that riff off the success of Pulp Fiction. So, in some ways, Django is almost a return to form for the director, even if it still does contain a few of his tedious trademarks that he's developed. No one knows he is a talented director more than Tarantino itself, which is ultimately his main downfall.
Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first: QT makes an appalling cameo, the film is too long for it's own good and there is still a pungent whiff of his gimmicky narrative technique of flicking here there and everywhere. However when putting that aside one could almost surmise that Tarantino has almost, almost, come of age in this film, as the theme of slavery is treated with a definite seriousness, however cursory. To casual onlookers though, this is still Tarantino being a child behind a camera with a rich dictionary of naughty words and bucket loads of blood.
What sets this apart from his more recent output is that it has a story, a plot, and it's a welcome return to say the least. Jamie Foxx plays Django, a slave freed by Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who encourages him to become a bounty hunter, and subsequently claim back his wife from Monsieur Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). All three actors do a terrific job, especially DiCaprio, who suits the nutty-yet-dangerous character of Candie to a tee. Samuel L. Jackson is also worth a mention, as the head slave who is at once hilarious and threatening. What really steals the show is Tarantino's script (nominated for an Academy Award) which is very often hilarious; the audience I was with couldn't stop laughing!
It's the most un-Tarantino Tarantino film in a while, while still being, er, a Tarantino film. The plot twists and turns, the set-pieces are terrific and the violence is deliciously graphic, making this into a highly enjoyable film for fans of the director or otherwise. Go and see it.
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