Very Tarantino...And Yet This Time That Was Part Of The Problem

Rating: 7/10 (20 January 2013)

Well I finally saw Django Unchained last night, and I've got some good things to say and some not so good things. First of all, I am a Tarantino fan...always have been ever since Reservoir Dogs. I know what to expect when it comes to his films. I expect a lot of blood, over the top violence, great dialogue, interesting characters, dark humor, and one heck of a story. And all of that was present in Django Unchained. So why do I feel like, somehow, Django missed the mark a bit. Well...and I never thought I'd ever say this about a Tarantino movie...I guess I wish he'd just restrained himself somewhat. For about 80% of DU, we have a masterpiece. At that point in the film I honestly felt that I may be watching Tarantino's best movie ever. And then something happened. Tarantino got in the way of Tarantino. And here's what I mean by that. 80% of DU is a classic buddy movie with some of the best interactions I've seen in quite sometime between characters. Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz (who, once again, gives the best performance in a Tarantino film) are brilliant. There was so much chemistry between them, that their growing friendship and partnership in the bounty hunter profession was the most authentic thing about the film. You honestly come to care for both of their characters. And don't get me wrong. There was plenty of ruthless bloodiness along the way, and as always, the violence was quite graphic. But then, with about a half hour, or so, to go in the movie Tarantino ratchets up the bloodiness to Kill Bill levels. Now, that type of exaggeration was fine in the Kill Bill movies. Heck, that type of exaggeration is fine in just about any Tarantino film except Django. Here I wish Tarantino would have pulled the reigns in. Because what was, up until that point one of the best movies I've seen in a while, just becomes more grind house, comic book-esque entertainment. Of all his films, this should have been the one where Tarantino said, "This time I'm going to come at a film in a more serious manner." The plot certainly lent itself to such seriousness. I'm not saying there shouldn't have been any bloody violence. On the contrary, and again because of the storyline, a lot of violence should have been expected. And it was there. But then Tarantino turns the knob up so high, that the full-blast nature of the carnage actually gets in the way of this otherwise brilliant film. Now...all of that being said, I still liked this movie. There are so many things to like about this movie. But the ending isn't really one of them. Too bad...because what came before the preposterous conclusion was so doggone good. But, as I've said before, that is just my opinion.