Off the Chain

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2012)

Quentin Tarantino has out-done himself on some of the most violent scenes that I have ever seen on the big screen. This film shouldn't be called Django Unchained; it should have been called Tarantino Unchained. There were times during the film that I just could not watch what was happening. On the other hand there are also some very funny moments; mostly delivered by Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz). As seen in the trailer, the doctor needs help in finding some criminals with a very high price on their heads; however he has never seen them. He enlists Django (Jamie Foxx) to help him hunt these men down and soon fully employs him as a bounty hunter. In exchange, the good doctor will help Django to retrieve his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the mega-plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Running the "big" house on Mister Candie's plantation is Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) who is as loyal as they come and disturbingly dedicated to his master. Django is totally transformed from a down-trodden slave to a self-reliant pistol carrying sharp shooter. I also just want to say that there has been so many films where Germans have been portrayed as the "bad guy" so it was refreshing to see one that was a good guy. I would be remiss if I did not mention Big Daddy (Don Johnson) who somehow made me think about fried chicken because they dressed him up to look a little bit like Colonel Sanders. The violence in this film is not the only shocking moments; there are some things that are better left not shown (you'll know exactly what I mean once you see the film). It seems like really long movies are starting to become the norm and this film is no exception, although you are so engaged in what is going on in the film that this one did not feel that long. This is a true Tarantino film and you will get exactly what you expect (and then some). In classic Tarantino fashion, he takes you from one extreme (disgust) to the other extreme (laugh out loud funny). This spaghetti western will definitely take you on a roller coaster ride for sure, so buckle up. Even though there were times that I was shaking my head and turning away from the screen, I am going to give this film a green light.