German dentist/Bounty hunter, Dr. King Schulz (Christoph Waltz), purchases Django (Jamie Foxx) because he can identify his latest quarry, the Brittle Brothers, and the promise that he will set Django free. By the time the job is complete, the two have built up a strong rapport and Schultz agrees to help Django find and free his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), while training him to be a pretty good bounty hunter to boot. But it won't be an easy task - Broomhilda is now owned by the charismatic but sadistic plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio)...
Well I've got to say it, the first thing I thought as I walked out of that cinema was, *That movie went for nearly 3 hours? IT WENT BY SO FAST!!!* And Pooey agreed with me! The story and scenes roll by so fast that it wasn't until I started thinking about this review that I realised how much was told on screen. In all ways but one, DU is a classic Tarantino film - fantastic dialogue, extreme to the point of comical violence, some major historic revising, and an excellent ensemble cast. When asked by some people what I thought of the movie, one of my non-verbal reviews was to put my hand to my forehead, make a *boom!* sound, and have my other hand splayed out behind my head.
And although they've been given some great working material, the cast are excellent. Foxx shows the gamut of emotions that Django undergoes as a proud man forced into slavery who comes to control his rage and intelligence in the quest for his wife, and Waltz is amazing as the bounty hunter who may seem to have a cavalier attitude to (taking) life, but actually abhors the casual brutality and sadism he encounters in the attitudes to slaves. Leo clearly relishes his role as an unapologetic villain - apparently he really cut his hand while delivery the skull soliloquy (you'll know it when you see it), but someone who I think has been (criminally) overlooked is Samuel L. Jackson as Candie's majordomo, Stephen. While at first coming across as hilarious, scraping buffoon, the character is revealed to be just as menacing as Candie - there is a particular scene where the men are presented as having a father-son/teacher-student relationship. The extent to which Stephen will and can manipulate others to preserve the status quo at the plantation perhaps paints him as the real villain of the movie.
I won't address the criticisms made by other people regarding the film (that the film of bloated, use of the N-work, etc) because there are plenty of other places you can read about that. I will say that although slavery is not a laughing matter, this is a funny movie and it does lampoon human trafficking, rather than be used for gratuitous purposes. Otherwise, I was disappointed that Broomhilda was such a weak female character (for Tarantino). We don't see her doing much other than be a damsel in distress, but I will however concede the argument that we're told she has made repeated attempts to escape and is therefore broken down by the punishment she receives from that.
Anyway, the year is young but I think this would definitely be a contender for one of the best films of the year. But if you're wondering what was un-Tarantinoesque about this movie, the narrative is largely linear. Think about it.
Echt wahnsinn.
8.5/10.
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