Review: Django Unchained (2012)

★★★★☆

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson

❝ HE IS A RAMBUNCTIOUS SORT, AIN'T HE? ❞

Synopsis: Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012) follows the story of Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave whose freedom is bought by a bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Once Schultz has used the information Django has on a bounty he wished to haul in, both men begin a journey together which ultimately leads them to finding the whereabouts of Django's wife, (who was sold separately from him) Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). Chaos erupts, Tarantino style.

This isn't a film about slavery. This is a film about a man who happened to be a slave who uses the freedom he is given in order to reclaim what he's lost - a character motivation seen in most of Tarantino's films. Django Unchained is an epic adventure. It's a story that delivers such entertaining scenes of both comedy and brutality - all at the right moments. Any film in which you find yourself either rooting for the good or bad guy will never, not be dull. A highlight was definitely the climax of the film; overdone, exaggerated and just brilliantly ridiculous - a scene that only Tarantino could get away with. The only downfall of this brilliant cinematic experience is the characters. Some of these characters felt unfinished and at times, it felt like this was Schultz's adventure, rather than Django's adventure. Unfortunately Django Unchained isn't Tarantino's finest offering and doesn't surpass his earlier masterpiece Inglourious Basterds (2009), but it definitely is a film worth watching and a film that should be enjoyed for it's sheer entertainment value. However, those looking for a film that explores the depth and true emotional turmoil of a slave in the late 1800s should probably wait for Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave which is due to be released later this year/2014.