Year: 2012
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Country: U.S
Language: English
Quentin Tarantino is quite a polarizing director, he is loved by many and hated by even more. Over the years he has been praised as a genius by critics and fans alike, however he has also been called a scoundrel who makes trashy films. I stand in the middle, I don't think he makes "bad" films but I also don't feel his films are very great. I've seen his entire filmography, from Reservoir Dogs to his last film Inglorious Basterds. Though I've never regarded his films as "intelligent", I have always though they were entertaining. Perhaps Django Unchained can break new ground and be both "intelligent" and "entertaining".
In Tarantino's new film, Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz) is a former dentist buys the freedom of a slave, Django (Jamie Foxx), and trains him with the intent to make him his deputy bounty hunter. Instead he goes to the site of a despicable plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio) who owns his wife.
Is Django Unchained entertaining? Yes. Infact it is more entertaining than his last four films (Inglorious Basterds, Death Proof, Kill Bill Vol 1 &2 and Jackie Brown) It is refreshing, unpredictable and at times incredibly suspenseful. The soundtrack is fantastic, as well as Tarantino's unique camerawork. It is hard to take your eyes off the screen. Jamie Fox is wonderful in the title role, Samuel L. Jackson as well. DiCaprio was alright, but it feels like Tarantino didn't have much confidence in this character as he doesn't try to hard to get invested in this villain. Though he didn't do that in Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds either.
Is Django Unchained intelligent? That's arguable, personally I think it's pretty irresponsible. The incredible amount of violence serves no real moral purpose, it's violence for the sake of violence. Like Inglorious Basterds, Django is another "re-writing history" film though making a light film about slavery seems disrespectful to a lot of black people. Some of the monologues in this film are pretty pointless, they don't even move the film forward. It's dialogue to make the character seem more hip. The attempts at humor come off as pretty shallow and awkward, if Tarantino is trying to be Mel Brooks he should consider taking some writing classes.
In conclusion, while I found this film quite entertaining there isn't any real reason for me to watch it again. It's all flash with no substance, which is fine for some people, it's better than most Hollywood films. Django Unchained leaves me in the same place as I was before this film, in the middle. I do not think Tarantino is a bad filmmaker, but I don't think he is a great filmmaker either. If you wish to be entertained, see it. If you want a film that will resonate with you and leave you in self-reflection, then this is not the film for you. 3/5
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