Review: Django Unchained

Writer and Director: Quentin Tarantino

My Rating:  Loved it.  Another solid movie from Tarantino in a genre he hasn't touched before.  If you like Tarantino then definitely see it in the theater.

Initial thoughts:  From the trailer I thought this was going to be a solid western with some unconventional parts, which it was.  I was not disappointed.

Nutshell:  In 1858 a German-born bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), is on the trail of the outlaw Brittle brothers.  A slave, Django (Jamie Foxx), can identify the outlaws and the two team up.  Dr. King Schultz teaches Django his trade, frees him, and eventually they go in search of Django's wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) to buy her freedom.

What I dig:  This movie was a gorgeous, stylish western.  The action was great, the characters of Django and Dr. King Schultz, especially, are fantastic, along with great performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson.  There was even a great cameo from Franco Nero, the original Django.  I also loved Walton Goggins, of Justified fame, in this.  Tarantino mixes his violence and humor superbly.  I was immersed instantly and loved the ride the whole way. 

What I don't dig:  It was long at 2 hours 45 minutes.  Some stuff should have been cut out and trimmed up and left as special features for the DVD, especially a good chunk of the Calvin Candie parts, despite the superb performance from DiCaprio.  Kerri Washington didn't have much to do in this.  Some of the music didn't fit with the genre, but I realize that is Tarantino's scoring style, so no big shock there.  To me these are minor quibbles for what is a good, solid movie.

There has been some scuttlebutt about how some people have a problem with how many times the word "nigger" is used in this film, but I didn't have a problem with it.  A notable work of fiction from the time period, The  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, used the word twice as much as this movie, so that just shows me that it is reasonable to believe that people in the South used the word as much as Tarantino's script illustrates. 

Final thoughts:  If you like westerns or Tarantino movies then go see this.  If you are not into violence or Tarantino then avoid it.

Any comments are appreciated!