MONDAY MOVIE REVIEW- Django Unchained (2012)
Although I am not a die hard Tarantino fan, I really enjoyed both Kill Bills and Inglorious Bastards. As a result, I was quite excited to check out Django Unchained, which I finally had a chance to see in theaters this weekend. Django Unchained focuses on Django, a black slave who is freed and trained to be a bounty hunter by Dr Shultz. His ultimate goal is to rescue his wife Broomhilda, whom he finds on the plantation of the notorious Calvin Candy. Djano Unchained is an exceptionally well made film that features Taratino's trademark love for over the top violence, bizarre yet effective music selections, and fantastic dialogue. It's success can be found not only in the undeniable marks of it's creator, but also in the strength of it's actors. Here's a few things that struck me.
Heroes and Villains- Django Unchained is a film filled with noteworthy performances. My personal favorite would have to be Christoph Waltz, who does brilliantly as Dr. Shultz. He's even more likable here then he was in his bright moments as Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds, and this time you don't have to feel guilty for liking a Nazi. One thing I found really touching about Django Unchained was the friendship between Shultz and Django. You can really feel the bond between the two characters from the first moment they interact together on scene. The role of Djano was apparently originally offered to Will Smith, who turned it down. This is something I found myself occasionally lamenting while watching the film. Still, there's no denying that Fox has a quiet intensity to him that can be rather compelling, and I did grow to appreciate his performance. The villains of the piece (who don't enter the story until I lot later than I expected) are filled by equally strong performers. Leonard DiCaprio really disappears into his role as Calvin Candy, which is something I don't experience very often from him, despite the impressive intensity and devotion he always brings to his roles. And Samuel J Fox is perfectly despicable as the head house slave Stephen, who I found to be the true villain of the piece. I have no idea why they're not advertising his role in the film all that much.
Subverting the White Savior Complex- There are so many films out there (including a few, I must admit, that I enjoy a lot) that embrace the tired and true White Savior Complex, where the passive and downtrodden blacks/Native Americans/Na'vi/etc can only be saved by the power of a white man. The interesting think about Django Unchained is for a while, I thought it was going to take this same path, with Shultz serving as the White Savior. But throughout the film, Django himself goes through a quite a transformation, from a man at his lowest and weakest point in life, rising until he has become the savior of the piece. I thought that this was a really well done subversion of this common trope, which allows Django to become a wonderfully fleshed out character.
No Strong Female Characters- I realize I'm being a little nit picky here, as Kerry Washington provides a very engaging performance as Broomhilda. You can really feel her pain in anguish in certain scenes. At the same time, I can't help but feel that her purpose doesn't extend beyond the damsel in distress. We see her in pain, not so much because we're supposed to sympathize with her. Instead, we're supposed to sympathize with Django and his need to save her. This lack of strong female characters is a little disappointing, given the tough ladies present in both Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds.
Final Thoughts: Django Unchained is a worthwhile film going experience. Taratino has once again managed to make a highly entertaining film that, under a lesser director, would have seemed like a complete mess, yet comes out satisfying and cohesive. Thanks to the strong performances from pretty much everyone in the cast, Django Unchained is a compelling piece of cinema, despite it's lack of strong female characters. Four Stars