Django Unchained
Having left his mark on big screen history with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction in the early nineties Quentin Tarantino kept on going with the Kill Bill films (did you know a third part has been announced?) and Sin City as well as several others. His style of production and direction is quite distinctive when you compare with his peers of this era and so I couldn’t miss his latest offering.
Plot
Several of the films I have seen lately have had plots which have particularly large leaps of faith, or were quite simply poor, but Quentin kept it simple and just used some nice twists and turns to keep the viewer interested. In fact I found myself wondering how the story was going to keep going at one point, only to be amused and intrigued by the turn it took as Django and Dr Schultz arrived in that winter season.
There is just enough humour to get some wry wit in there on occasion, but it doesn’t detract from the gritty feel and underlying commentary on human nature battling away in the subtext of the film. In fact the characterisation really supports and interweaves with the storyline and brings out some interesting motivations, reactions and consequences.
Cast
Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz make for a curious pair, and despite his slightly hit and miss past (in my mind) Jamie was a great fit for the lead in this title. They play off each other nicely and I felt that the progression of their characters was portrayed by them both well.
What can I possibly say about Samuel L. Jackson? Epic. This ranks high up there in my favourites of him, simultaneously displaying depth and providing great character.
Many years ago I didn’t really like Leonardo DiCaprio, he seemed rather too straight up and down with not enough depth. However since Inception and now Django Unchained I have to say that he has started to come into his own in my opinion.
The supporting cast is great as well with a very wide variety of actors and actresses involved no one seemed out of place or not up to standard. Which isn’t a surprise really.
Visuals & Effects
This is perhaps the one thing I could possibly pick at and downgrade in some way because it is that classic Tarantino style which has always been distinctive, but when it comes to the gun shots it is a little too comical for me. Blood splatters up the entire wall, people being shot and flying backwards … I know it is for effect but everything else was much more gritty and harsh that the juxtaposition of humorous and over the top wounds was perhaps too much.
It is though Quentin’s style and for Django Unchained he has a lot of stuff off camera or toned down compared to the likes of Reservoir Dogs for instance. As long as you know that he goes in for the over the top visuals you’ll expect this from him and I suspect fans of his prior works will say this was ‘tame’ in comparison.
Soundtrack
The acting and plot of this film were great, the backing track and sound stage really brought it together for me. There was enough crisp clarity where needed yet still some nice homage to old school films, plus musical score which wasn’t massive but I thought fitted neatly into the experience as a whole.
Conclusion
Obviously not a family film with its 18 rating and it may not appeal to those who like to keep “gore” out of their viewing but that really only comes into it, in an almost spaghetti western style, towards the end for the most part and is slightly comical in some ways.
I heartily recommend anyone who is a fan of Tarantino films, tough westerns or a good bit of gritty story to go and see this at the cinema. It was well worth it and certainly a contrast to my last visit to see the fifth Die Hard, I will be buying it on Bluray when it eventually is released (probably in a months time!)
