Django Unchained (2012) ***1/2

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2013)

I just got back from seeing DJANGO UNCHAINED, and I thought it was Very Good, and one of Quentin Tarantino's best. But what I really enjoyed most were the strong performances and vivid characterizations -- Jamie Foxx as the determined slave Django, but even more so his partner Christoph Waltz, who is exceptional yet again (I loved his good-hearted character Schultz here). I never thought I would ever enjoy Leonardo DiCaprio in anything, but I thought he was remarkably villainous in DJANGO. Samuel Jackson was truly excellent, I thought, the first time we see him in the part of an aged house servant ... but it seemed like his elderly and slow-moving character rejuvenated a little more each time we saw him later (at least this was my initial impression). And a big surprise was a short-lived yet highly entertaining tour de force by Don Johnson!
I'd say the movie could have been nearly perfect if not for a feel of lagging and overstaying itself in the last 20 + minutes or so for me. I felt disappointed in the direction things went in the final act(s) or so, pretty much after Waltz and Leonardo finally conclude their transaction. And some of the last bits with Michael Parks again showing up to make the same trademark gestures he's already used in other films like KILL BILL, and Quentin himself (who's starting to appear more like "Tubby" Tarantino) compromising the proceedings yet again with another self-indulgent and needless cameo, well -- I could have skipped those.
Just a word about the "racism" we've been hearing around some camps (like from the delusional Spike Lee). This movie depicts language and attitudes the way they were in those unfortunate and misguided times, and nobody's saying or doing anything that probably wasn't actually said and done (and worse) back then. But more than that, the Tarantino twist here is that it's the slaves who get to settle the score. The movie is an "up yours!" to the slave keepers of that period.
And sure, there is violence which is some places is overly gratuitous for the story we're involved with. But I think the gore and action is of secondary interest to the real appeal of the film for me: which is the friendship between Django (Jamie Foxx) and Schultz (Waltz), and their dedication to one another. The movie is also humorous in places, but never overly so. ***1/2 out of ****