I AM AFRICAN

I AM AFRICAN

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Movie Minute: Django Unchained (The Review)

Synopsis: Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award(R)-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award(R)-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles–dead or alive.

I must begin by stating that I am a HUGE Quentin Tarantino fan.  I didn't think it was possible for him to top the sheer brilliance of Inglourious Basterds or the action in Kill Bill but clearly I was wrong because Django Unchained is his best film to date in my opinion!! 

This film is highly entertaining and takes you on a wild ride.  It's a classic Tarantino film with the usual offerings of incredible cinematography, strong graphic violence, viscious fight scenes, language and some nudity.  The film is written and directed by Tarantino (who also makes a cameo) and is very well executed for a story based on a very controversial subject. It is a story about revenge with an underlying love story that is also unintentionally funny. 

The movie has had it's share of critism with the most vocal against it being Spike Lee.  Uhmmm, Mr. Lee, I went to see the movie for the entertainment value and not for factual information on history!

Cristism aside, this film is not for the faint of heart or easily offended but if you're looking for great entertainment this is it for you!!  The casting is terrific with top calibre actors who deliver in a major way! Oscar award winner Jamie Foxx, is great in his role as DJango.  Christoph Waltz, another Oscar Award winner, plays the role of Django's unlikely sidekick and if you are familiar with his work, he never fails to impress and is brilliant & comical as Dr. King Schultz - a dentist turned bounty hunter.  Leonardo DiCaprio proves once again that an Oscar award to him is long overdue!! He plays a villain who nails his perfomance as does Samuel L Jackson. 

Let's talk about the soundtrack!! The music picked superbly matches the story and just adds to the brilliance of Tarantino.

The run time for the movie is quite long at 2.5hours but that's a small price to pay for what you get in return - a wild ride!

There is lots of Oscar buzz surrounding this film that has already garnered 5 Golden Globes nominations. 
Will you be watching? Have you seen it? Please share your thoughts.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Before this movie I dint like dogs, after this movie I REALLY dont like dogs.....

Patrick Wachira said...

Nice review Ms G. I totally got into the movie from the opening credit to the bloody end 160 min's later. I've been watching Tarantino for years so my expectations were pretty high for this film and I have to say it still managed to impress me. Christoph Waltz was hilarious as usual and might have outdone himself. It's refreshing to see a German as a hero for once. With Jamie Foxx there were so many great quiet scenes where another actor wouldn't have delivered the nuance and style that Foxx made look so easy. Finally Samuel L. Jackson's character Stephen was fantastic. Django said that the top house n*gger was almost as low as a black slaver. What a fascinating and masochistic character. He didn't just mouth the words, he was a true blue believer. He was a fully fleshed out example of an "Uncle Tom". The direction, cinematography, set design, and overall feel of the film paid great homage to the western without actually tripping over itself while attempting to do so. My only criticism was that the film was a little choppy and not as tightly edited which is understandable since Tarantino's long time editor died before the movie was completed. Lastly Spike Lee can go kick some rocks, he's no longer relevant as a filmmaker and that must irk him. Fun fact; Franco Nero, the guy talking to Jamie Foxx's character at the bar during the mandingo fight was the original Django in the Italian western.

Sally G said...

Albert, that is quite funny! I have never liked dogs and can relate!
Pat, thanks for posting your review. It's always refreshing to read the point of view of a real film enthusiast such as yourself:) It is spot on!! Thanks for adding the fun fact. I am now more informed. I can't wait to see how the Hollywood Foreign Press & the Oscars voting committee will vote on this film. It was dissapointing that Samuel L. Jackson did not get a Golden Globe Nomintation yet Kerry Washington got one... not to discredit her role as she too was fantastic but Jackson's character gave us a whole lot more.

Patrick Wachira said...

Love the profile pic lol. And you're right about Sam Jackson. He deserved a nomination more than Kerry Washington, it's a rare thing to see a well known actor completely disappear into a role like he did. The Oscars are run by old white man, you know there no way this movie would win best picture. I know they'll get a few nominations but that's about it. Sawa beshte, happy watching.

Unknown said...

Hey Ms G,

gret post, i love the review...i nominated you for a liebster award on my blog http://naymahsworld.blogspot.com you can check it out if you like:)

xo