Jan 20, 2013

Django Unchained [2012]


Django Unchained is a 2012 production, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, about a slave-turned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx) who sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio), with the help of the man who saved him in the first place (Christoph Waltz).

I must say, from the get go, that I was in love with this film 5 minutes in, when Django is rescued by a smooth-talking, surprisingly violent Dr.King Schultz. The quality of the script is unquestionable- from the fast, no-bullshit, quirky dialogue, to the well-built characters, and ending, of course, with the action-packed scenes, everything is wonderfully constructed, and more importantly, entertaining. I rarely see movies who bring both story and entertainment, both quality and fun, and Django Unchained definitely accomplishes that.

One extra thing I do have to mention about the script, but mostly about how Tarantino builds and displays his stories- the man loves violence and is not afraid to show it. I think he is one of the most visual, direct and bloody directors out there when it comes to this topic, and you can see it in the way he shoots the scenes, the close-ups and quantity of blood used. It doesn't bother me, but you cannot help to notice it, and that's why I mentioned it.

As for the actual directing, what more can I say about mister Tarantino? His movies are always visually appealing, attracting attention with every frame or shot. Personally, I loved and still remember the scenes showing Django killing the Brittle brothers, or the funny moment with Big Daddy and his employees on the field, having the bag argument, and of course, the final showdown in Candie's house. As always, his cameo is interesting and well placed, and I especially liked his exit.
 
As for the other filmmaking aspects, I have nothing but praise. The sets and costumes were well-executed and fun, and a definite highlight was the fantastic soundtrack, with "Who did that to you?", the John Legend song, taking the crown.

If you thought I ran out of good things to say about the film, than you probably didn't realize I haven't mentioned the casting. Oh man, the actors in Django Unchained were just fantastic. Jamie Foxx, playing the main character, perfectly embodied it and gave a very good performance that was sadly overlooked, but I can understand why, considering the supporting actors were just as wonderful as the lead. Three of them deserve high praise and an Oscar each for their roles: first, Christoph Waltz, in a part similar to his in Inglorious Basterds, but with a lot more humanity; he had great chemistry with both Jamie, and the other two secondary men, who I love and root for more than him. Oh, how can I put in words how much I enjoyed watching both Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L.Jackson on screen? Their characters were obviously despicable, but I couldn't not like their sassy spirit, confident stride and funny banter. DiCaprio, in particular, was spectacular as the vile plantation owner who always gets what he wants, and I seriously cannot understand who he didn't get a nomination for his performance (case in point, watch the running man and the dogs scene, or the dinner discussion, and you will understand).

In the end, I can only summarize my review and just say that Django Unchained is one of the best films I have seen in months and it deserves all your attention- I would recommend it to anyone. If I would have to rate it, it would get a 5/5 from me!

17 comments:

  1. Argh - so many people raving about DiCaprio, I can't wait to this one! You sound you had a ball :) I love Christoph Walzt too - I'm going to have to finally watch Inglorious Basterds before I see this one (I just bought myself a copy on blu-ray) - excellent work, Diana!

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    1. I really liked Inglorious Basterds, but I loved this one, I hope you will, too!

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  2. Nice review Aziza. Quentin Tarantino's epic love letter to Spaghetti Westerns is, to quote the character of Calvin Candie, "a good bit of fun".

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  3. Glad you enjoyed it so much!

    I really liked Leo and Waltz, though I don't understand it when people say he was similar here to his work in IB - Landa and Shultz are complete opposites. I did not like Foxx and his casting in that role ruined the last act of the movie for me. It was a good film but I felt it could have been much better if Tarantino made different choices.

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    1. Well, yes, the characters are quite different, but I still saw some Landa in there, especially when he interacted with criminals or even Candie.

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  4. That's cool you enjoyed this a lot, Diana. I like Inglourious Basterds so there's a chance I'd like this too, esp since Christoph is in here as well. I'll be renting this for sure.

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  5. Beautiful review, Diana! I am really eager to see this movie

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  6. Great review! I give it 5/5 too. Oddly, I wouldn't nominate it for Picture, Director, or Screenplay, but I still love the film. I agree on the performances, and I think Washington has also been overlooked. Though she doesn't have a big part, she blew me away.

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    1. I would nominate it for Screenplay, and it is deserving for Director and Picture, although not for actually getting the prize. And yes, I quite liked Washington, too, but she was, indeed, underused!

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  7. Yessss! So glad you loved this one. DiCaprio and Jackson were just nuts and brilliant, weren't they?

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    1. They were, loved both of them, they worked great together!

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  8. Its Tarantino. Off course, we Love it. :) Loved the soundtrack, loved performances, especially Waltz. I thought he was even better than DiCaprio but he was fabulous as well and off course, Samuel Jackson. That last shooting took me by surprise a little but it was easily the best part of the whole movie for me.

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    1. I was a bit surprised by the end, too, but it didn't ruin the whole thing for me! One of 2012's best!

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  9. The best movie of tarantino and absolutely loved it. Kept me glued to screen from start till the end.

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