Viewed in
2012
Formats
Movie theater.
Premise
Quentin Tarantino's take on westerns, starring Jamie Foxx as a freed U.S. slave turned bounty hunter.
Loved
Channeling spaghetti westerns.
Liked
Cast, Tarantino style.
Disliked
Length.
Thoughts
I might be taking Tarantino flicks for granted. It was well-written, entertaining, a tad indulgent, and violent. There wasn't really much to write about.
As expected, the cast was inspired and fantastic. Jamie Foxx carried the film flawlessly with silent presence. Christoph Waltz was utterly charming as a bounty hunter. Leonardo DiCaprio was great with an entertaining against-type performance. While Kerry Washington got very limited screen time, she brought dignity to her role. Yet despite all these screen magnets, Samuel L. Jackson still stole the show as a cranky old slave, goofy makeup and all.
As a fan of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood flicks, I thought it did a great job of channeling the swashbuckling panache of the spaghetti westerns. Tarantino captured the mood and sense of fun with music, sound effects, cheeky camera movement, old school lettering, and explooging blood packets. A tribute and an excellent addition to a dead genre. Also, shout out to playing Tupac in a cowboy shoot out.
The biggest flaw was it was a bit too long, with one too many battles.
Unlike others, the slavery aspect and constant n-words didn't bother me much. I'm not smart enough to declare its impact on race-relations and black identity in America, but I viewed it as just style and a darkly fun twist on westerns.
Call me lazy, but Django Unchained felt like "Tarantino being Tarantino". You expect extreme violence, dark comedy, and moments that'll make you feel uncomfortable. As a fan of his works, I found it extremely enjoyable, though I don't think it was as ingenius as Inglorious Basterds.
