REVIEW | Django Unchained (2012)

Quentin Tarantino has made our fantasy of revenge against the Fuhrer and Nazi Germany come true in Inglourious Basterds, with his trademark style of cool and shocking violence. In that movie, he also introduced to us the  unforgettably ruthless Jew Hunter, played by Christoph Waltz, who nabbed that year's Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

And now, in his spaghetti western Django Unchained, Tarantino takes us back to the period of African-American slavery in the South. And he brings back Waltz-- still in a German role.

It's 1858, in pre-Civil War, and German dentist-turned-bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) frees a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) and makes him his associate. The duo rides across America fulfilling their "opportunistic" professio, and eventually find themselves in a mission to rescue Django's wife (Kerry Washinton) from her ruthless owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), in his huge plantation called Candyland, where they also meet Candie's head slave, Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson).

Tarantino retains the horror of slavery with dead seriousness, yet layers it with his ingenious flair for exaggerated violence, hilarious wit and grandiosity-- enhanced with a fun, devil-may-care soundtrack. The cinematography is stylish and sweeping, and the entire cast deliver shining performances, including, and surprisingly, DiCaprio, who is fitting as a the rich and oblivious fool. Waltz, of course, still delivers a delicious, memorable performance.

Django Unchained, nominated in this year's Oscars, including Best Picture and Original Screenplay, and a nomination for Waltz as Best Supporting Actor, is one hell of an entertainment; a cool mixture of crazy fun, riotous humor, and somber, ugly truth. Your level of enjoyment will be way up high throughout the entire film.

4 out of 5 stars

UPDATE:

Oscar 2013 wins:
Actor in a Supporting Role (Christoph Waltz)
Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino)

In Philippine Cinemas March 13, 2013