Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Django Unchained
2012
***½
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, Michael Parks, Don Johnson

Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction were a breath of fresh air, but the recent years have turned Quentin Tarantino into one of the most predictable filmmakers in the industry. Each new release is an overlong, ultra-violent, expletive-heavy and utterly pointless revenge fantasy full of film references, overwrought dialogue and quirky 70s songs. This Spaghetti Western-meets-blaxploitation flick certainly isn't a stretch for him. The story is set in 1858, when Dr. King Schultz, a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter, frees Django, a slave who can help him identify three wanted brothers. The two strike an unlikely partnership, which eventually takes them to Mississippi to liberate Django's wife. The 165 minute running time is more than excessive, although there are several terrific scenes and wonderful performances, which include the Academy Award winning Christopher Waltz as the suave bounty hunter, Leonardo DiCaprio as the nasty plantation owner and Samuel L. Jackson as his servile elderly slave. James Remar appears in a baffling double role, probably just to misdirect our expectations. Once again the whole adds up to nothing. This is not a story about slavery any more than Inglourious Basterds is a story about World War 2. The setting provides a nice backdrop for cool and brutal violence, and this is indeed the director's bloodiest movie since Kill Bill, Vol. 1. Tarantino's screenplay won an Academy Award.