Django Unchained (2012)

I’m a big fan of Tarantino, and also of Westerns, so when Django Unchained was released here in Melbourne, it didn’t take long for me to see it. And once again, Quentin didn’t disappoint me.

Not only the movie is a Western, but Tarantino used many elements of the old spaghetti Westerns Sergio Leone directed back in the 1.960’s. To start with, the original music score was composed by Enio Morricone, who became famous for his whistling-charged tunes feature in Leone’s films, most notably “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

For anyone who didn’t know, this is not casual at all. Tarantino has always loved spaghetti Westerns and has previously utilised Morricone’s talent in other films like “Kill Bill” and “Inglorious Basterds”

The use of quick close ups, where the camera zooms in from an open take to a tight close up; the relentless violence and the black humour, are other elements used by Tarantino in this film (and also in previous ones)  which are a tribute to Leone. If you haven’t seen any of these films, I highly recommend you find the trilogy of “For a few dollars more”; “For a fistful of dollars” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” I’m surprised Tarantino didn’t at least tried to convince Clint Eastwood to participate in this movie.

The movie tells the story of a slave, Django (played by Jamie Foxx), who is freed by a Schultz, a German bounty hunter disguised as a dentist. This part was brilliantly played by Christoph Waltz, who had previously portrayed a sadistic Nazi officer in “Inglorious Basterds” He once again excels in his role of the extremely well mannered but decidedly violent bounty hunter who, after giving Django his freedom, forms a lucrative relationship with him as his criminal-killing partner.

This unlikely partnership leads them to a farm in Mississippi where it’s powerful owner, Calvin Candie, keeps Django’s wife as one of his many slaves. Candie is played by Leonardo Di Caprio, who is nothing short of magnificent in this role. Di Caprio’s butler and faithful right hand is Stephen, a free black man played by one of Tarantino’s favourite actors, Samuel Jackson. A long way from his memorable Bible-reciting henchmen Jules in “Pulp Fiction”, Jackson is still one of the coolest actors on Earth, and in this movie delivers equally well.

Schultz and Django come up with a plan where Schultz would offer to buy one of Candie’s prized Negro fighters, called Mandingos, and ask for Broomhilda’s (Django’s wife) freedom as well. Candie didn’t know his slave was Django’s wife.

During an elegant dinner, after Schultz had agreed to buy the Mandingo for $12.000 and return with the money three days later, Stephen (Jackson’s character) picks up the scam and, at gunpoint, Schultz is forced to pay the money but just for Broomhilda’s release. Just before leaving Candie’s house, Schultz fires a shot to Candie’s hart at close range, killing him.

What happens next is a vintage Tarantino bloodshed. Candie’s bodyguard shoots Schultz and Django shoots him in return. A dozen gunmen, Candie’s guards, enter the house and Django shoots everyone in sight. The shots are not the single red hole shots of old Westerns, but all wounds spurt blood in a fountain like manner, with splashing sounds and everything. Needless to say the house is turned upside down. Django ends up with no ammunition and finally gives up after killing at least 10 men when his wife is held by Stephen. To my amazement, this wasn’t the climax of the movie. There was still more.

Django is then sent to another farm to work as a slave along with other three coloured men, and travels in a caged carriage. While stopping to rest, Django convinces his captors that he’s a bounty hunter and that there’s a hefty reward for three wanted criminals back in Candie’s farm. He shows them the flyer he kept in his pocket with the bandit’s names. As soon as he’s released and they put a gun in his hand, he quickly proceeds to kill the three guards. One of them is Tarantino himself, who dies not by the shot, but in an explosion caused by the dynamite he was carrying with him. He just loves dying dramatically in his own movies.

Django then returns to Candyland (the name of the farm) where he meets the party that was just returning from Candie’s funeral. He proceeds to shoot almost everyone, including Candie’s sister, and after picking up Broomhilda, leaves Stephen wounded. As he leaves the house, he lights a fuse and the whole place explodes. He then proceeds to gallop out of the farm and, presumably, lives happily ever after with Broomhilda.

It doesn’t matter what kind of movie Tarantino shoots. It could be a mobsters movie (Pulp Fiction); a Japanese anime (Kill Bill); a Nazi movie (Inglorious Basterds) or a Western. He is always faithful to his basics: deranged violence with lots of spurting and splashing blood (cut off limbs a plus); extreme characters; long and tense scenes which end up in a bloodbath; magnificent casting and impossibly exaggerated plots. God, he’s good. I hope next time he opts for a Mafia movie. Can’t wait to see who he’s going to cast.

This is, at least, my opinion. And I could be wrong.