Tarantino Spits Magic Again... In the Form of Extreme Violence, Repetition of the "N" Word and Clever Dialogue.

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2013)

Hell Yeah! It's Tarantino time again! Being that Pulp Fiction is my favourite film of all time, you can probably tell how excited I was to go see Django Unchained. I mean, Quentin Trantiono reinventing the Western with Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson? Wow gotta go see that, here is 6.50, keep the change. And boy was it worth paying money to see this film! If they had raised the money even higher, I would still have gone to see it! It's his best movie since Pulp Fiction, period. I mean Kill Bill was pretty good, Death Proof was good, Inglorious Basterds was excellent and now Django Unchained is his third best movie, the first two being Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
The Good:
The Story. This is a basic revenge/rescue story but it works so well and everything makes sense. Set in the antebellum era of the Deep South and Old West, the film follows a freed slave (Foxx) who treks across the United States with a bounty hunter (Waltz) on a mission to rescue his wife (Kelly Washington) from a cruel and charismatic plantation owner (DiCaprio). The plot is simple but works to its advantage because it allows the audience to appreciate everything a Western is. When it comes down to it, a Western is most of the time a search for some sort of treasure or redemption with a bad ass hero who squints and smokes a lot. That's what I think when it comes to Westerns. Tarantino strips it to this basic premise and then adds things to it that give it its unique Tarantino twist. Like the part with the Klu Klux Klan, that was unexpectedly funny as hell. Little things like that have defined Tarantino as a director for the past twenty years and it still works.
The Casting and Characters. One of the things I love about all of Tarantino's films is the casting. Jamie Foxx plays the emotions of a freed slave well, turning him from a timid and frightened slave to a gun-slinging bad ass, a typical character development in a lot of Westerns. However, that said I loved Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Shultz. Not only does he play his character well, but steals every scene he is in and I was genuinely sorry that he died in the film. Then we have Leonardo DiCaprio as the film's main villain, Calvin Candie. It's funny, I usually can't picture Golden Boy Leo in a role like this but he blew me away. Calvin Candie is one of the most evil villains I have ever seen in a film and he's played by the love interest from Titanic. I think this pretty much proves that DiCaprio is versatile and has range. And, like Waltz, he steals every scene he is in. And then finally we have Stephen, a senior house slave, played by Samuel L. Jackson. And this is where the viewer questions who the actual main villain is: Candie or Stephen? Because, a lot of the time, Stephen seems to be controlling Candie with his words. However, I do believe, Candie is the main villain. But Jackson, in a twist of fate, seems to also steal every scene he's in. So, if I can get this straight, we have three actors who all steal the scenes they're in and they are all together in a lot of scenes. This, ladies and gents, is the Tarantino genius. As well as these awesome actors, we also get the usual Tarantino cameo and the brief time he's in there is pretty freaking funny and he dies in the most over-the-top way. As for the love interest, although she really doesn't have a lot to do, it doesn't really matter since the focus of the story is on Django.
The Music. Tarantino has always displayed an odd use of music in his films which work for a lot of the time. This film is no different. There is a variety of musical genres used, including country, southern rock and even rap. All of these genres work and it can now definitely be said that Westerns will never be the same again just thanks to the music used in this film.
The Script. The dialogue in this film is written in that trademark Tarantino style: in that it uses tons of foul language and witty retorts. Now that he's done a Western, he pretty much has free reign over how much foul language there is and still making it clever. Of course, the "N" word is repeated often and has generated controversy but those people are people who have had a stick up their bum all their life. If the human race wishes to progress, we mustn't allow ourselves to be shocked by words like that and come to terms with them and accept them.
The Violence. The violence is one of the best things about this film. This is another controversial trademark of Tarantino's and it is executed beautifully, especially since all the blood is squibs, not digital. Tarantino violence is the sort that's so over-the-top, it's actually kind of funny. I laughed when a lot of violent moments came along, like when Laura Lee died, that was hilarious. It's like Pulp Fiction, that's the sort of violence it is.
The Cinematography. The cinematography in this film is executed to absolute perfection. Using sudden extreme close-ups and a text scroll, this movie pays more tribute to old westerns than the westerns that have been coming out recently. Excellently shot and well made.
The Bad: ... There is none.
Final Verdict: 10/10 Instant Classic. This is Tarantino's most ambitious project and it has paid off so well. This is my absolute favourite of 2012. Django Unchained has excellent story, characters, acting, script, music and cinematography. And Samuel L. Jackson repeats the "N" word excessively. What's not to like? Instant Classic.