REVIEW

DJANGO UNCHAINED

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Django Unchained is the most recent endeavour from revolutionary director Quentin Tarantino. The film, like TarantinoÔÇÖs previous movies, is bloody, comical and visually captivating, yet surprisingly loyal to the Western genre.

Tarantino captures AmericaÔÇÖs vast, desolate and harsh landscape quite majestically on-screen and brilliantly juxtaposes the Western score with the violent content of the film.

Set two years before the abolition of slavery, the plot follows freed slave Django and his German companion (Waltz) as they bounty hunt their way across the southern American states, ÔÇ£killing white folks for moneyÔÇØ, with the intent to rescue Broomhilda, DjangoÔÇÖs wife (Washington), from the sadistic and merciless Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).

The casting of this film is brilliant; DiCaprio is a surprisingly fitting choice for Candie. His usual ÔÇÿgood guyÔÇÖ casting seems ridiculous here, as he depicts a genuinely┬á unnerving villain. Samuel L. Jackson is also a standout in the film, being almost unrecognisable as Stephen, the loyal slave to Candie.

Tarantino takes an unusually comical approach to a provocative topic, and the result is as controversial as expected. However, the film does not live up to earlier Tarantino films and, despite its promise, the film seems to be an hour too long. After the captivating first half, it seems to drag. Overall, it is most definitely one to watch; just donÔÇÖt drink a large Coke during the film.

Becky Wilson