Quentin Tarantino is known to be one of the world's greatest film directors simply because his films are different and havent been done before. With hits such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds, he has changed the look of cinema. His previous film Inglorious Basterds starring Brad Pitt rewrote history he displayed his idea of the past. Django also takes a different look at history and the topic of slavery, however add in a story about revenge, pride, charisma and adventure and you've got a Tarantino masterpiece. Set in the antebellum era of the Deep South and Old West, the film follows Django, a freed slave who treks across the United States with Dr King Schultz, a bounty hunter on a mission to rescue his wife from cruel and charismatic plantation owner Calvin Candie.
The film follows Django's transformation from slave to bounty hunter/hero as Tarantino depicts his story in a superb manner adding humour whenever possible. Despite this, the violence is extreme with many gory killings and a brilliant shootout towards the end.
Tarantino's ability to get the best out his actors is one of the reasons why this film was such a huge success as the cast did magnificently in the film. Leonardo DiCaprio in particular was simply phenomenal as the villianous Calvin Candie as he portrayed an enthusiastic but deadly plantation owner who has hold of Django's wife. Christoph Waltz is looking to become Tarantino's muse as this is their second film together and Waltz's second Academy award for best supporting actor both in Tarantino films in which he has been nothing short of amazing. Jamie Foxx played the lead role of Django and was the most surprising in my opinion as he did superbly in portraying a brooding but fearless Django. The involvement of Samuel L Jackson as Steven, Candie's butler was fantastic and added great moments of laughter.
Pros
- Intriguing storyline and a fast paced script
- Brilliant screenplay
- Awesome dialogue
- Takes advantage of opportunities for humour
- Amazing acting performances (from DiCaprio in particular)
- Tarantino's signature style over substance is superb
- Decent soundtrack goes well with scenes
- Realistic gore
Cons
- Leonardo DiCaprio's screen time (introduced after an hour and appears for just over an hour in approx 6 lengthy scenes
- Not enough action sequences
- Shootout could've been longer
Tarantino has struck again with this masterpiece which in my opinion is his best work just after Pulp Fiction. The story is not the only reason why this has impressed but the majority of credit must go to Tarantino for creating something no other director could and getting the best out of his actors. Also credit to Leonardo DiCaprio for displaying a memorable villain.
In short, My new favorite film
9/10
