DJANGO UNCHAINED
Young Django, star and namesake for Quentin Tarantino’s
latest epic (in the form of a western this time) Django Unchained, is a man
from the pre-civil war deep south who breaks free of his shackles of slavery,
hones his gun-slinging skills to become a fearsome bounty hunter, who will let
no white man keep him from rescuing his woman, Broomhilda, from the evil Mississippi
plantation owner Calvin Candie. But to
me, this movie was about the greatest dentist that ever lived: Dr. King Schultz! (and his horse Fritz) He is portrayed by the brilliant Christoph
Waltz, a German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter, with quick wits demonstrated as
much by his ability to whip out a gun and put a hole in your head, as his
eloquent tongue (My kinda cowboy! *swoon*).
There are certain things about a Tarantino film that no
longer need to be pointed out in my opinion, they should be assumed. For starters, when you go to at QT film, expect to spend 3
hours at the theatre (factoring in trailers etc). Expect it to be indulgent and over the top,
expect slow motion gunfire and gory but artistic deaths. “How could that possibly have
happened?” should not be in your vocabulary when discussing QT movies, whether
it’s about the number of bullets in a gun, or how someone escaped death... Muthafucka made it happen, deal and
let’s move on. Also expect long
monologues and bouts of dialogue, some are a little slow on the get-go but
there’s usually a pay-off for your patience.
Now I say 'usually' because either I missed something really subtle (and I’m
going to watch Django Unchained again in theatres just to make sure… and then
maybe I’ll watch it once more for fun ) or else there must be some scenes on
the cutting room floor (uhm, I mean, back up harddrive?) of Zoe Bell and Samuel
L. Jackson doing some real kick ass/cold-blooded shit, because it certainly
wasn’t in the final cut.
Not to say Sam Jackson’s portrayal of Stephen, Calvin
Candie’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) surly, smart-mouthed, slave butler wasn’t Best
Supporting Actor Oscar-worthy, but you’re stacking him up against talents like
Waltz and DiCaprio. Stephen is a great
character, one moment the fumbling loyal servant, the next shedding his
southern accent and channeling Jules Winnfield (of Pulp Fiction) to tell his
boss what’s what. That was one of my favourite
scenes in the movie.
Sam Jackson’s Stephen and Christoph Waltz’s Dr. King Schultz
were neck in neck for my favourite character in the movie right up until the
last 10 or 15 mins. No this isn’t a
spoiler, it was just at that point that I settled on Dr. Schultz who’s every
speaking moment had me enraptured. From
his purchase of Django and freeing of the slave, to his dinner table banter
with the plantation owner’s widowed sister.
Each word is so meticulously chosen and clear in its meaning, he doesn’t
lie nor use double entendres but yet he manages to convey the truth of each
situation while keeping his own position favourable. This character is a testament to Tarantino’s
writing skills.
Third in appeal for me, but no less magnificent is Leonardo
DiCaprio’s portrayal of the grandiloquent Calvin Candie. In the trailers DiCaprio’s character is seen in
glimpses, and comes off as a bit of a comedic. In the film, Candie strikes a better balance. Over the top and absurd he may
be, but not a caricature of evil. While
we smirk in secret as he speaks, we know he’s not someone to fuck with. It’s really refreshing to see DiCaprio in a
supporting role, he’s a superb talent but over the last decade has not ventured
from his presumed task of winning a Best Actor Oscar. Yes, he’s got what it takes to be a leading
man, but more importantly, he’s got the ability to enliven any role he’s given
and it’s time he reminded the world of that.
So that about wraps up all the major players…oh wait,
there’s that guy Django… ok ok, I’m not criticizing Jamie Foxx here, far from
it. I think he makes a better Django
than Will Smith would have. He nailed
his role, and fired his guns as stylishly as anyone else from the
Tarantinoverse. But I just don’t think
this movie would’ve been what it is without its exceptional supporting actors. See for yourselves. Django Unchained is in theatres today.
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| Original Django Unchained fan art by one of my favourite artists. Check out his work at www.jaekorim.com |
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