Another Great Tale By Tarantino

Rating: 7/10 (13 June 2018)

There is no doubt about Quentin Tarantino's ability as a storyteller. The narrative of "Django Unchained" is further evidence of that ability, but his film-making abilities sometimes get in the way of the telling.
Though Django (Jamie Foxx) is the film's protagonist, he is an unlikely partner to Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and they share the lead. Each is a unique character, but they come to align themselves in common goals and, eventually, a common quest. The slave Django finds himself outside the law and--thanks to Schultz-- possessing freedoms that challenge his moral compass.
But this is a Tarantino film, so the compass never strays far from a monomaniacal drive to achieve the completion of the quest.
Tarantino graces the story, which is set in the antebellum South, with inherent humor, mostly achieved through the subtlety of Christoph Waltz's acting. His German bounty hunter executes a matter-of-fact demeanor in extraordinarily stressful situations.
The story unfolds gracefully, allowing the viewer to discover background stories and motivations without unnecessary voice-overs or dialogue that is merely explanatory. This is done economically and clearly.
However, the story later suffers from uneven pacing. This is distracting and reduces the effectiveness of the film. Likewise, some artistic choices take the viewer out of the narrative, including some quick camera zooms, excessive gore that goes well beyond Sam Peckinpah's style, and the use of a Jim Croce song in one montage.
Tarantino has created an intriguing world that is unique, then cluttered it with extraneous attention-grabbing elements. This may be attributed to self-indulgence, but the viewer's indulgence is earned through the director's creativity and his obvious love for his creation.