“Django Unchained” is one of the most amazing films I’ve ever seen and I never want to see it again. The plot, the filming, the acting, the soundtrack are all top-notch. The violence, however, is unbelievably disturbing.
“Django Unchained,” written and directed by the renowned Quentin Tarantino, follows the slave-turned-bounty-hunter Django (Jamie Foxx) who wants to free his wife. The movie is separated into two parts. The first is Django’s transformation into a bounty hunter and the second is his quest to rescue his wife. At two hours and 45 minutes, it’s a long movie, but the story is suspenseful and I didn’t want it to end.
Tarantino’s filming is beautiful and features strong imagery. The landscape is scenic, including snowcapped mountains and generic Southern plantations. The most memorable images, however, are violent, often involving blood: blood-stained walls, blood-stained cotton, a blood-stained white horse. It would have gotten old if it wasn’t so horrifying.
The soundtrack is varied. Not only does “Django” receive a well-deserved theme song, but it also includes a rap and a song borrowed from the classic Western, “Two Mules for Sister Sara.” Although the choices are diverse, the film score matches the mood of the movie.
The actors’ performances are Oscar-worthy. Kerry Washington plays Foxx’s wife, Broomhilda, while Leonardo DiCaprio astounds with his role as the rich, evil plantation owner, Monsieur Calvin Candie. Samuel L. Jackson plays Stephen, Candie’s malevolent servant.
My favorite character was Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German bounty hunter who takes Django under his wing and helps him find his wife. It’s refreshing to finally see a tolerant white man in a movie laced with racism. This open-mindedness, though ultimately his downfall, combines with the convincing acting of Waltz to make him an impressive character.
The violence, however, is something I won’t gush about. I knew it was rated ‘R’ and I thought I was prepared. I had already seen a gunfight scene in one of Quentin Tarantino’s other films, “Natural Born Killers,” which was bloody but not scarring. “Django” was something else.
A lot of the violence was caused by guns, with fake blood spewing everywhere. I can handle that, it’s in every horror movie. But three scenes, one with dogs, one reminiscent of “King Lear” and “out vile jelly,” and one involving Django hanging upside-down, made me cover my eyes in horror and admonish my sister for dragging me there.
There are problems with the movie apart from the violence. For instance, the bumbling KKK, featuring a cameo by Jonah Hill, makes the whole theater laugh, but I wasn’t ready to laugh. I just saw three people die five minutes ago. The scene is supposed to be used as comic relief, but the timing is completely wrong. The area it appeared in doesn’t need comic relief, at least not as much as the rest of the movie. The humorous mood of the segment also doesn’t match the mood of the rest of the film, making me wonder why Tarantino even added it.
The other main problem is the lack of character development. We don’t get to see much of Broomhilda, not nearly as much as I would expect from Django’s damsel in distress. The relationship between her and Django is understated. For example, at their first interaction, there is no interaction, seeing as she faints as soon as she lays eyes on him. Bit of a cheat for the audience.
Additionally, Candie’s henchman Billy Crash (Walton Goggins) could have been much scarier if he was featured more prominently. His current appearance is chilling, but could have had more meaning if there was more depth to the character. Similarly, Django and the servant Stephen don’t have much apparent tension. It’s evident that Django and Stephen don’t get along, but Tarantino passes over an excellent opportunity to further that conflict.
Despite these problems and the overwhelming violence, “Django Unchained” is a magnificent movie with many strong points. I would recommend it, but with a strong warning label.
Rebecca Driver is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.