Django Unchained opened at the Starflix Cinemas on 18th January, about three weeks after its U.S. premiere.
As the trailer suggests, the film follows the bounty hunter, Schultz, and Django, the recently freed slave in search of the Brittle brothers and to the rescue of newly free man’s bride, Broomhilda. The film gets right into it, wasting no time with Django’s rescue and freeing and the same scene acts as a viewer’s initiation into the film’s violence.
There are a lot of uncomfortable moments, like the first time a white person says the N* word (about 10 minutes into the film) which you get used to at some point.
The film seems like redemption for Christoph Waltz’s character, Col. Hans Landa on Inglourious Basterds, where he was “charged with rounding up all the Jews in France”–as he described his job description to Monsieur Lapadit in the film’s opening scene–now he is the saviour of the black people. He is almost unnecessarily disturbed by how fellow white people treat slaves. Even Django himself doesn’t flinch at the treatment the way Schultz does.
For a film that illustrates the darkness that was the American slavery era, it’s also pretty hilarious. A good example is a scene where Big Daddy tries to explain to a servant how to treat a free black man and a KKK scene, which almost seems like Tarantino making ammends for using the N* word a too much.
The latter scene reminds me of the faux-history Tarantino used in ‘Basterds in the plot against Hitler. With all the deep issues the film dramatizes, it makes for one of the funnest history lessons you’ll ever encounter. You enjoy the dramatization as you ponder about what was really done after the show is over. The Mandingo fight sequence is one of such scenes.
Frequent Tarantino collaborator, Samuel L. Jackson is classic as usual. His character almost descended into caricature but no one does it better than Tarantino and Jackson, especially together. Probably the only person who would not have caricaturized the character because he is already a caricature.
Leonardo DiCaprio gives the performance of his career. He is fine in most of the parts but he gives everything in a dinner table scene where he explains interracial relationships and goes on to give a faux-biology lesson on slavery in what might just be the year’s best performance by a supporting actor…and what might be the most disturbing bit for black audiences.
Kerry Washington’s Broomhilda might as well have been in a silent film. A character that might go unnoticed is one of Candie’s comfort girls in the town. Concentrating on her loses you some classic lines but she is entertaining to watch.
But one of the best bits about Django Unchained is the music. The film doesn’t really have a score but the music more than makes up for it. It starts of with an appropriate Elvis-like period ballad for Django but somehow, Rick Ross and Tupac songs penetrate the film. This might be the only time you’ll get to hear coke and gangster rap play before Beethoven’s Fur Elise.
The best and worst thing about Tarantino is–thankfully and regrettably–Tarantino himself. His writing and direction is brilliant. His acting is terrible. Thankfully, it doesn’t take anything away from is one of the most enjoyable films I’ve gone out to watch. There are a lot of cheesy scenes, borrowed from period films and Westerns, but they are, unexpectedly, the best parts about the story.
Today is the last day you can catch Django Unchained at Starflix, Prestige and Village Market. Head out there if you want to catch the last year’s finest film before it ends its theatrical run. Check out the times here.
