Django Unchained (2012) Directed by Quentin Tarantino, 26th January

Quentin Tarantino (QT) is proving to be a most versatile director, constantly changing genres but essentially sticking to high violence and revenge themes.

His new film a homage to the spaghetti western is definitely a homage. From the style of the opening titles  and even features a sound track containing pieces by Ennio Morricone you know you are watching a western.

The premise for the film is about a former escaped slave (Django) who is rescued by a law abiding former dentist come bounty hunter (Dr King Shultz) who team up to become a formidable bounty hunting team and eventually go out to together to rescue Django's wife form a cotton plantation owner Calvin Candie who now owns her.

This is classic Tarantino with great monologues interspersed with at a flick of a switch dramatic shoot outs which are bloody, graphic and almost cartoon like. This all sounds rather heavy but there are some comedy moments. From the Klu Klux Klan scene about ill fitting pillow cases, to why Django would choose a costume to look like a Little Lord Fauntleroy to a man constantly being shot whilst being caught in a cross fire.

It's a long film at 165mins and some scenes are over long and the film could have been whittled down a little bit to make it a little snappier.

Christopher Waltz is brilliant and essentially playing a similar character to Col Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds but a good version rather than an evil Nazi Jew hunter. Jamie Foxx is excellent too. Don Jonson did a wonderful turn as Big Daddy and there was a great little cameo of Tom Wopat (who used to play Luke Duke in the Dukes of Hazzard) as a US Marshall . Samuel Jackson provides a solid performance as usual. QT also makes a cameo as an Australian cowboy but with a dubious accent but hey, this is his film and it is a good film. So he can be forgiven for this turn.

This is not a perfect film but it is still heads and shoulders better than a lot of films released. It's definitely entertaining and I'm already looking forward to the next QT film. I wonder what genre he will tackle next?

8.5/10