REVIEW - DJANGO UNCHAINED
I'm not going to kid myself. I don't think I'm capable of writing an actual review of this film, mostly because it was so epic that I'm not sure that one viewing is enough to have noticed any faults. Or maybe it is one of those rare films that just doesn't have any. Whatever the case, I just want to write about why I love this film. So here we go:
Django: The protagonist of this Epic Western goes beyond epic. He takes bad-assery to this whole new, unprecedented level. Besides this, his quest for love and revenge transform him, almost with ease, into a hero who is easier to relate to than you'd expect. Contrary to my expectations, and the convention of Westerns this film shows the soft side of its protagonist. Yet somehow, this doesn't make him seem any less tough or cool. The scenes wherein he describes his relationship with Broomhilda and his brief moment of uncertainty in his new career - bounty hunting - keep him three dimensional, and eliminate the possibility of him drifting too far from what the audience is capable of relating to.
Schultz: Dr. King Schultz is far and away my favourite character in this film. He reminds me a lot of Tyrion Lannister from the A Song of Ice and Fire series. He is that character who is witty and clever to the point that their witticisms and cleverness manage to save their lives. Multiple times. I suppose a reason a lot people who have seen this film like him is because he is modern, far ahead of the times with his relationship with Django, but I don't think it can be credited to just this. He is also something of an enigma. And a weirdo, which is steadily becoming a more popular thing. The rise of the internet has given power to more subcultures than you could name, and as we make ourselves known our desires and traits become steadily part of the 'mainstream'. That is not to say that we are mainstream, but we are part of it. Hence a character like Schultz, with his bravado, guts and weirdness, is far more likeable than a bland character. Why did Schultz come to America? What drove him to bounty hunting? What happened to his family? And why is he so intent on giving Django his freedom?
Calvin Candie: The scene preceding the first appearance of Mr Candie sums his character up beautifully. Schultz asks if there is anything he needs to know before meeting Candie, Moguy (Candie's 'lawyer') replies that he is a 'francophile' and prefers Monsieur to Mister Candie. Schultz then displays his ability to speak French by saying "Whatever he prefers" in that tongue. Moguy replies sternly: "He doesn't speak French. Don't speak French to him, it'll embarrass him". Candie is just a mess of contradictions and cruelties, and Leonardo DiCaprio conveys this to the audience beautifully. He strives to be the picture of civility and richness, but his penchant for violence and petty revenge upon those 'beneath' him prove him as the very image of barbarity.
So the characters are brilliant. And the actors do deserve credit for communicating this, however the real genius lies in Tarantino's writing. The comic and epic timing in the script are brilliant; what really impressed me though, is that Tarantino has managed to create a film about slavery which does not conform to the usual black and white binary. Neither skin colour is represented as ultimately good, or ultimately bad. It is a mixed, unpredictable balance, and therefore seems like a realistic portrayal of humankind. He also has created relatively little controversy with this film. This could be because the qualities of his films that used to be considered controversial are now trademarks and have lost their edge. However I feel it is also because his use of violence in this film is not just violence for violence's sake. 1850s America was a violent time, and the things shown in the film are known to have occurred. Lots. Not in the scale, or in the epic way that Tarantino portrays them perhaps, but that is because it is just a film.
Django: The protagonist of this Epic Western goes beyond epic. He takes bad-assery to this whole new, unprecedented level. Besides this, his quest for love and revenge transform him, almost with ease, into a hero who is easier to relate to than you'd expect. Contrary to my expectations, and the convention of Westerns this film shows the soft side of its protagonist. Yet somehow, this doesn't make him seem any less tough or cool. The scenes wherein he describes his relationship with Broomhilda and his brief moment of uncertainty in his new career - bounty hunting - keep him three dimensional, and eliminate the possibility of him drifting too far from what the audience is capable of relating to.
Schultz: Dr. King Schultz is far and away my favourite character in this film. He reminds me a lot of Tyrion Lannister from the A Song of Ice and Fire series. He is that character who is witty and clever to the point that their witticisms and cleverness manage to save their lives. Multiple times. I suppose a reason a lot people who have seen this film like him is because he is modern, far ahead of the times with his relationship with Django, but I don't think it can be credited to just this. He is also something of an enigma. And a weirdo, which is steadily becoming a more popular thing. The rise of the internet has given power to more subcultures than you could name, and as we make ourselves known our desires and traits become steadily part of the 'mainstream'. That is not to say that we are mainstream, but we are part of it. Hence a character like Schultz, with his bravado, guts and weirdness, is far more likeable than a bland character. Why did Schultz come to America? What drove him to bounty hunting? What happened to his family? And why is he so intent on giving Django his freedom?
Calvin Candie: The scene preceding the first appearance of Mr Candie sums his character up beautifully. Schultz asks if there is anything he needs to know before meeting Candie, Moguy (Candie's 'lawyer') replies that he is a 'francophile' and prefers Monsieur to Mister Candie. Schultz then displays his ability to speak French by saying "Whatever he prefers" in that tongue. Moguy replies sternly: "He doesn't speak French. Don't speak French to him, it'll embarrass him". Candie is just a mess of contradictions and cruelties, and Leonardo DiCaprio conveys this to the audience beautifully. He strives to be the picture of civility and richness, but his penchant for violence and petty revenge upon those 'beneath' him prove him as the very image of barbarity.
So the characters are brilliant. And the actors do deserve credit for communicating this, however the real genius lies in Tarantino's writing. The comic and epic timing in the script are brilliant; what really impressed me though, is that Tarantino has managed to create a film about slavery which does not conform to the usual black and white binary. Neither skin colour is represented as ultimately good, or ultimately bad. It is a mixed, unpredictable balance, and therefore seems like a realistic portrayal of humankind. He also has created relatively little controversy with this film. This could be because the qualities of his films that used to be considered controversial are now trademarks and have lost their edge. However I feel it is also because his use of violence in this film is not just violence for violence's sake. 1850s America was a violent time, and the things shown in the film are known to have occurred. Lots. Not in the scale, or in the epic way that Tarantino portrays them perhaps, but that is because it is just a film.
