Actors: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson
Directors: Quentin Tarantino
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay
Release Date: April 16, 2013
Run Time: 165 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
When it comes to Quentin Tarantino you know that you are getting not your typical Hollywood cookie cutter movie. “Django Unchained” is a real shocker from the moment it starts and doesn’t let up until its finale. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of Jamie Foxx but as an actor you can’t not like him. He really plays the hell out of this role. Christoph Waltz was absolutely stunning. I literally hung on every word that he spoke. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor but he is in over 2 hours in a 2 hour and 45 minute movie. To me that is more than just supporting. Leonardo DiCaprio easily delivers one of his best performances to date…again unrecognized with any awards. Samuel L. Jackson is good but I feel that he has lost his appeal a bit since he went joined up with “S.H.I.E.L.D” and all. Definitely not as powerful as he was back in the “Pulp Fiction” days.
The film is quite long but doesn’t drag. Quentin’s dialogue is mesmerizing and perfectly delivered by each the actors. The action is very powerful and intense that you find yourself yelling back at the screen. I love the force and explosion behind each bullet wound. Some of the battle scenes at Candyland reminded me a bit of the Crazy 88’s fight in “Kill Bill: Volume 1”. I have no idea how this film cost $100 million though. It is quite epic don’t get me wrong, but there is no major special effects in here. I would have to rank this film third behind “Pulp Fiction” and “Inglorious Bastards”. So it may not be Quentin’s best film, but it is still a blast to watch. If you are a fan of his style then don’t miss this for sure.
Official Premise: Set in the South two years before the Civil War, “Django Unchained” stars Academy Award®-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®-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. Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South’s most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.
Django and Schultz’s search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award®-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of “Candyland,” an infamous plantation. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candie’s trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival…
Starz/Anchor Bay did a very fine job with this release. The combo pack release includes a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy and an Ultraviolet digital streaming copy. The 1080p transfer looks stunning with its beautiful aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The film feels quite large and epic. This looks amazing on all the film’s wide shots and also the action scenes. When it comes to Quentin Tarantino, you have to expect good music and a great score. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track really sounds amazing. You find yourself dodging every single bullet amongst the action. The dialogue is perfectly balanced. The songs in the film represent the Spaghetti Western quite well.
The special features are a bit of a letdown though. I was hoping for some a nice look behind-the-scenes on the film and also some commentary tracks. Instead we get three featurettes, which are good but not at all what I was hoping for. “Remembering J. Michael Riva: The Production Design of Django Unchained” is a nice homage to the film’s production designer, who passes on during shooting. “Reimagining the Spaghetti Western: The Horses and Stunts of Django Unchained” has interviews with Tarantino and Jeff Dashnaw, the stunt coordinator, chatting about the production. “The Costume Designs of Sharen Davis” focuses on the wardrobes used in the film. Lastly there is a trailer for “Tarantino XX Blu-ray” and “Django Unchained Soundtrack”.