A Worthy Rebirth of the Western Genre

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2014)

What do you get when you combine Quentin Tarantino, a mild-mannered, well-educated bounty hunter and a freed slave looking to reunite with his wife who still happens to be a slave? One of the best and bloodiest westerns ever made. The story is that Tarantino wanted to make a modern spaghetti western and while the music definitely fits this genre, the rest is blockbuster material that the old westerns couldn't touch. The characters have depth, the acting is top-notch and the story is compelling and adventurous, with a healthy dash of humor, some intriguing mind games and a wagon-full of action. It's actually a little funny that it's titled after Django, as his partner (played amazingly by Christopher Waltz) steals most of the scenes and without him the story wouldn't even exist. I'm not really a Tarantino buff, so I can't say how this compares to his other films, but I will say he likes blood - every gunshot caused a fountain to go off. This film got a lot of press for the generous use of the N-word so if that bothers you, steer clear (it's probably uttered evenly between whites and blacks throughout the film). I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and will watch it often. 9/10