Django Unchained: Gunfights and Human Rights

You go into a Quentin Tarantino movie with a certain amount of expectation. Not of general quality necessarily, although that's there. No, the expectation one possesses is more one of violence, profanity, awesome characters and a stupidly fun time. Django Unchained follows Inglorious Basterds, hailed by many as being the best all-round film Tarantino's ever done. Does Django fly free as Tarantino's greatest hit? Or does Inglorious Basterds have its record on lock?

They skip the bit where you have to spend 4 hours playing liar's dice to afford the good horse.

What should be pretty obvious is that this is the most controversial Tarantino movie yet. There is a balance in violence between fun shootouts and genuinely powerful, graphic scenes of torture. Profanity is prolific, with an obvious example being tossed around like it's a 'dude' or a 'bro'. I wouldn't be surprised if it's set a record for most utterances of said word in a film. Controversy was to be expected. The story and performances? Less so.

The casting for Django Unchained is just about perfect. Jamie Foxx and Christopher Waltz are believable and lovable as Bounty huntin', rod trippin' buddies, and both are stellar in their own right. Waltz takes the character trope of seen-it-all veteran and gives it a sense of energy rarely seen before. Foxx plays the lead expertly. Believable yet not, he delivers just enough one-liners to be enjoyable, while still being realistic and relatable. He doesn't steal every scene, but he brings something different to it every time. Although having said that, about half an hour of the film is just him making this face:

Though, in fairness to him, there are a lot of reasons in the film for him to make that face. QT films are famous for having incredible villains, and Leo di 'Rio sets a new standard as Candice. He is a scene stealer, turning that award winning (although not Oscar winning) face into the most punchable thing known to mankind. Look at this. LOOK AT IT:

I love you and want you to die, you wonderful monster.
Really, the only bad acting performance in the film is Tarantino himself. Just like it's been in all his movies. Only he knows for sure why he has to have speaking roles in his films, but when his performance stands out like a putrid pink polo shirt in a power plant of wonderful white (phrasing), maybe it's a sign it should be toned down to Hitchcock levels of intervention.

What QT doesn't suck at, however, is screenplay. Django Unchained is a two hours and forty minute piece of awe-inspiring, funny, gripping and satisfying storytelling, that never slows in pace, nor feels rushed. The plot is kept fairly simple, allowing both it and the characters to develop around it. It sounds obvious and pointless to be typing it, but way too many films write a little about a lot, not the other way around. You can dislike Quentin as a person as much as you want (and I do) but gosh darn, does he know how to write and direct a movie.

It could be argued that Django Unchained has everything you could ever want from a movie. Action, romance, amazing characters, quality soundtrack, controversy and an immerse-ive, and complete, story. Does it trump Inglorious Basterds? You can bet your painted wagon it does.

What's that? Does it top Resevoir Dogs? Pfft, getouttahere.