Django Unchained

Django Unchained, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson

Django Unchained is the newest film by director Quentin Tarantino, which means you automatically know it's going to have a ton of bloodshed in it. This film definitely has that, and may run about a half-hour too long, but overall was one of the better films I have seen lately. It also has an all-star cast, including Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson, and the humor throughout will keep you entertained despite its long runtime.

Django (Foxx) is a slave who was recently sold and is being transported to his new master. Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) comes upon him and other slaves walking through the night, and kills the white men transporting them. Schultz is a bounty hunter and needs Django to help him find the newest men whom he's been assigned to kill; Schultz has never met them, but they were Django's old masters. Schultz gives Django his freedom and befriends him while training Django to be a bounty hunter. Django also wants to find his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), who was sold to different masters than him, and Schultz agrees to help him find her. Along the way they encounter a mean plantation owner (Don Johnson) and the rich owner of Candieland (DiCaprio), Calvin Candie, who currently 'owns' Broomhilda, and Django and Schultz must trick him in order to get her back.

First off, if you are easily offended, do not see this film. The N-word was used so many times throughout that you become desensitized to it, as another critic wrote, but that is how it was in the time period - two years before the start of the Civil War, in the South. There's a scene with the KKK that is actually really hilarious, as they complain about not being able to see through their masks with slits cut out for their eyes, and Jonah Hill has a cameo in that scene as well. Everyone in this film was fantastic but Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson stole the show, as well as Don Johnson in the limited amount of screentime he had; both Waltz and Leo have been nominated for a Golden Globe for this film, and so has the movie itself and Tarantino for best director (Tarantino has a cameo near the end, too, so watch for that).

Yes, see this movie. I can't say it's one I would watch over and over again, because of its insane amounts of bloodiness, but it's definitely one worth paying to see this holiday season. I was still thinking about the film the day after I saw it, and all of the funny parts in it, which is always the mark of a good movie. Tarantino wanted this to be more like a "spaghetti western," and we can tell he's trying for an "old school" look from the very beginning of the film, when he uses an old Paramount logo instead of the modern version. I'm not always a fan of his movies but this one may be his best yet, and it deserves all of its Golden Globes nominations as well as your attention at the box office.

Django Unchained is in theaters today, December 25th, and is rated R with a runtime of 165 minutes. 4 stars out of 5.


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