Django Unchained (2012)

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio

Overall Rating: 86.2

"Django Unchained" is the newest installment from Quentin Tarantino, who has always been on of my favorite filmmakers of all-time.  While my initial anticipation for Django may not have been up there with the likes of "Inglorious Basterds" or "Kill Bill", I'm always excited for a new QT.

This time, Tarantino takes us to the deep south in the pre-Civil War era, where slavery is still the cornerstone of life.  We meet a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx), who has been split from his wife and sold.  Django encounters a German bounty hunter named Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz), and together they team up to hunt bounties and attempt to get back Django's wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the villainous Calvin Candi (DiCaprio).

Along the way, the audience is invited (subjected?) to witness as many uncomfortable moments that Tarantino can muster up to try to remind viewers what the 19th century was like:  Whippings, dog hunts, mandingo fighting (slaves fighting to the death), torture as punishments, and as many references to the n-word as possible.

As is customary with Tarantino, the film starts heavy on quick-witted, often funny dialogue, and ends with enough blood to fill a swimming pool. Foxx does an excellent job conveying initial fear of being a slave, followed by the confident sternness as a ruthless bounty hunter.  It's a swagger we've come to expect from Willy Beamon.

The supporting cast all does their role as well.  Waltz is magnificent, DiCaprio is frighteningly creepy, and Kerry Washington shows her chops by handling her endless barrage of brutal scenes with pain and compassion.  And it wouldn't be a movie released in 2012 without an appearance from Walton Groggins (seriously, this guy has been everywhere recently).

With a soundtrack mix of custom songs meant to take you back to the era of 70's spaghetti westerns, mixed in with new hip hop tracks, it's very pleasing from an audio standpoint.  While it doesn't have the sure-fire hits as previous Tarantino installments, the balance makes it worthwhile.

While the movie has its absolutely brutal moments that make you feel ill, it wouldn't be a Tarantino film without a completely satisfying ending.  Tarantino continues to jump from genre to genre, essentially making updates of his favorite films of the 70's, he also continues to add his own flavor, creating instant classics for the newer generations of movie-goers.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 9
Dialogue: 9
Acting: 9
Direction: 9
Audio/Visual: 9