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Tarantino’s ‘Django’ hits the mark, delivers gruesome violence

Django+is+a+story+of+a+slave+who+rises+from+the+shackles+of+slavery+to+save+his+wife.
Django is a story of a slave who rises from the shackles of slavery to save his wife.

By Price Zimmer ’14| Arts & Entertainment Editor

More than an average Western, “Django Unchained” gives a surprisingly visceral and confrontational look at slavery in the United States. The movie is not without a few flaws, which are all the more noticeable since the film is of high quality.

“Django Unchained” tells the story of the titular character, Django played by Jamie Foxx, and his journey from slavery to bounty hunter to becoming a savior of his wife from the clutches of Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. He is accompanied by Dr. King Shultz, played by Christoph Waltz, a dentist turned bounty hunter who is instrumental in the development of Django.

What separates “Django Unchained” from an average western is not just the copious amount of blood and shooting, but the setting and how it handles the most important issue of the time – racism. Set in the late 1850s, with a heavy dose of the “n word”, there are moments that show the true nature of the times, from whipping, to putting the slaves in a “hot box”, it can be quite the overwhelming experience.

Perhaps the most annoying, and disappointing, flaw of the movie is an extend cameo by director Quentin Tarantino himself. It comes right before the final, violent, conclusion and while intended to be good fun, all it ends up doing is taking the audience’s attention off of Django, at a crucial time in the movie. It’s surprising that Tarantino would make such a poor choice, but fortunately it does not ruin the ending, rather it softens the emotional impact.

This is not to say that Tarantino, famous for classics such as “Pulp Fiction” “Kill Bill” and “Inglorious Basterds”  directed a bad movie, the movie is beautifully shot – arguably some his best work to date- as well as having some of the most pulse pounding action of the year. The script is whip smart, and all of the roles, aside from his own, are handled well and given appropriate screen time.

One group of the production who conduct themselves well is the actors, particularly Foxx, Waltz and DiCaprio. The trio are all fantastic in their respective roles, from the sinister and disturbed Candie, to the relaxed manner in which Foxx and Waltz execute dozens of villains, make this movie hum with a violent energy. Another actor who revels in his role is Samuel L. Jackson as the house slave Stephen, who is responsible for much of the violence in the final act of the movie.

Another facet of the movie that is great is the score, which starts off with standard Western music, much in the same vein as “The Magnificent Seven”. However as the movie, and Django, develops the music becomes decidedly more hip-hop and aggressive, which is a suitable choice as Django grows into a homicidal hero.

Altogether, “Django Unchained” is a thrilling movie, providing more food for thought than many of the greatest Westerns. Even though the movie is set in the South, this a Western through and through and should be considered among the best the genre has to offer, especially of the last quarter century.

Grade: A

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