Django Unchained (2012)

Django Unchained (R) - Review

"Uncle Quentin's Cabin"

Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) has been cruising lately, making vague clones of film geek genre pictures that were popular popculture fodder from the 70s.  He did it in 2003 and 04 with the Kill Bill films (Hong Kong kung fu action films brought back to life).  He did it in 2007 with Grindhouse's Death Proof (a quasi HorrorSlasher flick using a car).  He did it again in 2009 to critical acclaim with Inglorious Basterds  (a WWII exploited squad adventure flick soaked in revenge and intrigue).  And now he brings us Django, a throwback to the blaxploitation and the spaghetti westerns of our father's VCR days.  Jamie Foxx stars as the former slave hell bent on getting his wife back from villainous plantation owner Leonardo DiCaprio.  Django is aided and trained by a sage German Dentist played by Christoph Waltz who's acting antics again tries to both steal the show and head it dangerously towards buffoonery.  Racism is unavoidable in Django but that noose is mostly slipped with the movie's only truly great (and highly comedic) scene when the Klux Klan (lead by  Don Johnson and Jonah Hill) is arguing about the comfort level and practicality of riding around wearing hoods.  Slipped but not forgotten since near the end of the film Sam Jackson shows up as DiCaprio's sinister head house slave and resident Uncle Tom in an interesting but slightly out of place role.  Jackson's substandard "MF bombs" are each blows to the balancing act of realism and truth Django's world had been trying to achieve.  The final act's stretch and breaking of said worlds rules further frustrated me; better to have the final shoot out be the final shoot out than to try and have me believe a slaver would trustingly hand a former slave a gun which then just lead us back to that same conclusion.  These are writing problems, editorial problems, thematic problems and all three just throw Django off from greatness.

In fact, the entire movie as a whole has an off kilter out of placeness to it.  For a Tarantino film it has shockingly few dialogue pieces, murky and unexpressed motivations, the soundtrack just didn't sizzle with that funky hipness that usually drives his movies along.  And then there are the standard QT film cliches.  It is wordy and overlong (2 hours 45 minutes for a silly shootemup western?), it is too flippant about serious race issues and that is always a distraction, the exploitation film conventions of swish pans and zooms feel throw away and tacked on and disingenuous, Quentin's acting (Australian accent, really??!?!) was atrocious as always but that's not to mention the eccentric affectations and scenery chewing performed by his a-list cast.  Somewhere in there is supposed to be a romantic tale of a husband saving his wife but honestly Django often seems to forget that fact and when it happens it felt hallow and without power, Quentin was more interested in the blood and bullets than love and racism it impeded.

This still is a master story teller at work and these are some of his strongest visuals yet.  His eye for minutia is unmatched, the way a german pours a beer, the welts on a slaves back, the costumes and period locations all are top notch and speak to a high level of preproduction.  The single slow motion shot of blood spraying onto a cotton bloom ingeniously summarizes the entire film's narrative and morality, it is unfortunate the rest of the movie is not so quick witted.  If it is overlong perhaps it is due to the loss of his beloved editor Sally Menke who had cut all of QTs movies up until her tragic death in 2010.  The pace isn't as electric, the seams show a bit more and it wore on me just slightly (15-20 minutes or so less would have elevated  it above just pop entertainment).  The expected funky groove just didn't bloom.

Django is not a failure, it has enough squibs and brutality and humor to please any audience.  I think there are some like me who might be a little let down that he hasn't progressed beyond (nay, he has even sunk further into) his exploitation film roots.  QT's  Pulp Fiction founded a genre, not followed one.  This is the kind of lazy rehash I know Tarantino can bang out on a whim and a weekend, it lacked the obvious signs of deep artistic forethought and the stunning level of writing he at times can produce.  This is old hat for Tarantino, and I for one would like to see him try on something new (the 10 gallon variety was a good choice though).

6.5 N words out of 10 (GOOD)