You know you are in love with a film when you come
out of the theaters with its signature music playing in your mind and you are
already imagining yourself to be the dashing hero, walking in slow-motion after
beating the bad guys.
Yet, it is only rarely when a film comes like that-
most of our current films are either about holding a mirror to our realities or
repeating everything that was fantastic two or three decades ago. Rarely there
comes a film that knocks you out with its sheer bravado and makes you pose with
cocked guns and a cowboy hat in front of the mirror.
And, ‘Django Unchained’, the latest firecracker
manufactured by the wild and wacky Quentin Tarantino, is just that film.
Loosely named after the pulpy classic Western
classic, ‘Django Unchained’ kicks off in trademark Tarantino style- the
blood-red titles reminiscent of the Spaghetti classics of the 60s, the entire
trashy, absurd and cartoonish essence recaptured by the writer-director in
fantastically masterful style.
And mastery this is. Tarantino and cinematographer
Robert Richardson take us deep into the story- by the means of quiet, leisurely
long-takes and cuts, it draws us deep to marvel each little nuance and detail.
Fred Raskin’s sharp editing makes sure to the make the film a genuinely
sprightly adventure, effortlessly shifting the scene from one location to
another.
But it would not be worth talking about a Tarantino
movie if you have not applauded its biggest strength-possibly the biggest and
most lethal stick of dynamite in the bunch- the writing.
Sticking to its basic plot of an African slave-
named Django (Jamie Foxx) being freed and then accompanied by a charismatic
dentist-cum-bounty hunter named Schultz (Christoph Waltz) on a bloody path of
revenge in the pre-Civil War era, Tarantino is never afraid to hand us more
than just a basic template- with his wry, acerbic writing and his pitch-perfect
direction, he fleshes each character fully so that they become merely more than
just guys with guns and guts- each little or seemingly insignificant detail
ticks away like a time-bomb and each piece of dialogue, conversation or every
single filch is important, very, very important.
So, as we begin with Django and Schultz beginning to
wage a relentless war against the former’s tormentors, Tarantino hands us
surprise after surprise, one bombshell after another to make for a truly
incendiary experience. The killings are truly captured with horrific detail but
the tension that precedes it is more deathly and painful- just marvel a
fantastic piece of editing and narrative device- when a vengeful Django, decked
up in an elaborate costume as a valet, sights one of his tormentors through a
looking glass, Tarantino, with a menacingly incisive style, switches the
template- a short, harrowing flashback showcases the brutal actions of the
persons concerned and it immediately sets the tone for the violence to follow.
Whoa!
Violence has always been a crucial ingredient in
Tarantino’s film- and here the director experiments with it freely, recklessly
yet morally- ‘Django Unchained’ alternates between hard-boiled bloody shootouts
and duels and the more slow killings- a Mandingo fight is a nerve-wracking
experience of sheer torture and yet Tarantino, cleverly and crucially,
sometimes steers away from the main violence. In such cases, he lets us to
imagine the horror of it all and boy, it shocks, scares and shatters us to
smithereens.
But what makes Tarantino’s direction and writing a
real piece of mastery is the unpredictability. The writer-director, who came
across his inspirations from working in a video store, frequently doffs his hat
at not only filmmakers but rather whole genres- but his films are more than
just homages. ‘Django Unchained’ is not just a celebration of the thrilling
element of the genre itself. It is more importantly an individual piece, an
individual triumph. And its originality lies in how Tarantino, with a sense of
both hilarity and horror, can twist and alter the ground rules of each genre.
It plays smoothly here as well- Tarantino glosses
over each little detail, over each coincidence- Schultz’s carriage has a large
faux tooth attached to it, which later matters a lot when a pile of dynamite is
shoved inside it. Tarantino makes even standard elements of the Western genre
twisted and hilarious- when an army of masked raiders are about to mount a
horseback attack, they argue over whether to wear those masks or not as many of
them are unable to see through it.
Even the relationships are perfectly etched out.
Schultz’s friendship with Django touches almost close to a kinship- the two
complement each other in crackling chemistry. The vicious plantation owner
Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) shares a twisted relationship with his
trusted slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), who obeys his every command, yet
warns his master of possible danger and threat. The result is that even the
dramatic proceedings are rendered with both warmth and tension.
This brings us to Tarantino’s most unique strength
as a writer- the dialogue. The film has its own language and there is not a
single one of them. And while Tarantino is also best known for those flourishes
of pop-cultural dialogue and monologues, here, as in any other film, every
little bit of dialogue feels relevant and nuanced, even as it may seem as
casual conversation.
From a bounty hunter comparing his trade to that of
slavery, saying that he deals in corpses instead of living people, to the
afore-mentioned argument with the masks- with the gang leader insisting that it
is important that only horses should be able to see- to the little touches-
‘This nigger here?’ mouths Stephen, incredulously to which Calvin replies ‘That
nigger there’.- everything is marvelously written and it all further adds to
the plot as well. Schultz’s language is sophisticated and suave, Django’s own
words are spare and pointed. Calvin loves to lay down rules and maxims while
Stephen often showcases his ugly side with words spoken in midst of laughs or
in a fit of outrage.
And we all know how Tarantino rocks us by deriving
fantastic performances from his cast. And mind you, everyone in this film- from
the main players to the side cameos- comes across superbly to make for a
spellbinding histrionic experience.
Jamie Foxx is perhaps sidelined by the outstanding
supporting cast of stellar actors but he does well, quite well in fact. His way
of getting into character is particularly convincing. He is initially subdued
but soon he starts showing his tough and nasty edge and towards the end, he
ends up being a hero worth rooting for. Foxx plays Django with a solid
conviction and incorruptibility and his transition from vulnerability to
heroics is quite compelling.
But the real fire is in the supporting cast. Waltz’s
Schultz is clearly the best-written part of the film. A self-assured and reliably
excellent performer, Waltz shines throughout his role, embodying his suave and
streetwise Schultz with both wit and warmth. He is a character you root for,
ready to kill in lighting speed and yet surprisingly generous and possibly the
really likeable person in the film. Waltz chomps up the frames with a superb
and solid performance, his expressions memorably charismatic and cool while his
silver-tongued dialogue delivery is unforgettable as ever.
Leonardo DiCaprio is so, so superb that we actually
forget that he is actually acting. He dives beneath the smooth and calculated
cruelty of his character and actually makes Calvin real. He is loathsome when
required. He goes wild when in a fit of rage and his more subtle moments- when
mouthing those incredible lines, are done with a vicious style- so that his
character is constantly explosive material for the screen.
And finally, Samuel L. Jackson as the elderly yet
evil slave Stephen is clearly the biggest surprise that Tarantino hands us. We
see him first stamping a piece of paper clad in the dim light of his study and
then we see his evil side growing more distinctly and it soon envelops the
proceedings with its darkness. Samuel plays it to perfection- his infirmness is
a false disguise for the apprehensive nature that he often reveals yet he
always sticks loyally to Calvin Candie. It is a plain fantastic performance,
unforgettable in its little nuances as much as it is in totality.
‘Django Unchained’ is clearly not everyone’s cup of
tea. It sees the supremely talented Tarantino in full throttle- firing away one
big gun after another and scoring yet another bullseye. It is smart and
enthralling filmmaking in its top form and with endless thrills, spills and
chills, it is sure to rock you out of your seats.
Go, watch it! And Get Your Senses Shaken, Stirred
And Stunned. For Once and For All…..
My Rating- 5 Stars.
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