Django Unchained

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2013)

From BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated director Quentin Tarantino, he once described Pulp Fiction as having music similar to a spaghetti western, he had always wanted to make a proper western, so this was his opportunity, and to go a similar direction in terms of history changes like Inglorious Basterds, he definitely didn't disappoint in making it a hit. Basically, set in 1858, the Speck Brothers have purchased several African American slaves, chained them together and transporting them, but they encounter German immigrant dentist Dr. King Schultz (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Christoph Waltz) from Düsseldorf who is a bounty hunter, and after finding and buying the man he was looking for kills most of the captors. The slave that he releases is Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx), who was separated from his African American wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) and they were sold as slaves to separate parties, and Schultz needs him to identify the Brittle brothers working on a plantation in order to collect the reward for them dead or alive, and they make an agreement to grant the slave's freedom, and give him money and a horse. They succeed in finding and killing the Brittle brothers Big John (Lost's M.C. Gainey), Lil Raj (Cooper Huckabee) and Ellis (Doc Duhame), and the doctor and Django make a deal that if he partners with him as a bounty hunter, killing wanted criminals across plantations and taking a percentage of the reward until spring, he will help him find his and rescue wife, so Django is trained with his gun skill over the winter. They collect many bounties during the season, and they make enquiries and find out that Broomhilda is working as a slave for charming but brutal plantation owner Calvin Candie (Golden Globe nominated Leonardo DiCaprio), Schultz uses his way of words to persuade the ruthless businessman that he and his free manservant and fellow purchaser want to buy one of his male slaves that fight to the death (called "Mandingo fighting"). They reach the plantation Candyland in Mississippi, and knowing that Broomhilda speaks German they offer money to buy her so the doctor relieve his desire to speak his mother tongue, so the plan is to sign a document that the money will be paid later and Django will leave immediately with his wife back in his arms. Sinister and suspicious African American house slave/servant Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) is sure however that the female slave and the potential African American purchaser know each other already, and he voices his observations to Candie, so with this information he confronts the two cons. He demands that Schultz and Django pay $12,000 for Broomhilda or he will kill her, the doctor agrees to pay and assumes they can leave, but Candie demands that they should shake hands to finalise the deal or the wife will be shot, and refusing the doctor pulls out his hidden sleeve gun and fires. Candie is killed and a big shoot out ensues, Django shoots many of the men trying to kill him, but stops when Stephen threatens to kill his wife unless he surrenders, and when he does he is tied up, and eventually he is set up to be sent to work to death in a coal mine, this is with Candie's sister Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly (Laura Cayouette) agreement. On the journey though Django convinces the slave drivers and employees of The LeQuint Dickey Mining Co. (Michael Parks, John Jarratt and Quentin Tarantino) that he is a bounty hunter, presenting a wanted poster as proof, and they agree to free him if they will go back with him to kill some criminals for the reward, but he turns and kills them to escape, taking dynamite, and freeing the other slaves in the cart. Returning to Candyland he finds the dead body of Schultz, taking the certificate from his pocket with Candie's signature that Broomhilda would be freed, and the mourners return from the funeral of Candie where he reveals himself and kills everyone inside, except for Stephen who shows himself as not truly limping, but he gets shot in the knees. In the end Django frees the remaining slaves, he lights the fuse to the dynamite that he had placed around the walls before the company arrived, he and Broomhilda watch from a distance as the house explodes, killing Stephen inside, and they ride away on a horse to live happily together again. Also starring Walton Goggins as Billy Crash, Dennis Christopher as Leonide Moguy, James Remar as Butch Pooch / Ace Speck, David Steen as Mr. Stonesipher, Nichole Galicia as Sheba, Don Johnson as Big Daddy, Franco Nero as Amerigo Vessepi, James Russo as Dicky Speck, Tom Wopat as U.S. Marshall Gill Tatum, Don Stroud as Sheriff Bill Sharp, Amber Tamblyn as Daughter of a Son of a Gunfighter, Bruce Dern as Old Man Carrucan, Jonah Hill as Bag Head #2, Zoë Bell as Tracker, Tom Savini as Tracker and tom thumb's Russ Tamblyn as Son of a Gunfighter. Foxx gives a good leading performance, Waltz is near scene stealing as the witty and intelligent doctor slash killer, DiCaprio is a marvellous choice for the villain, and Jackson also proves a great surprise as the sinister house butler. This film was not without its controversy, especially in its approach to the history of black slavery, and high use of the "N" word, but Tarantino makes it is a thrilling experience, with clever blaxploitation material, witty dialogue, explosive action and adventure, great music choices, and lots of nostalgic homages to classic films, a fantastic spaghetti western. It won the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Tarantino, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing and Best Motion Picture of the Year, it won the BAFTA for Original Screenplay, and it was nominated for Editing and Sound, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Very good!