Django Unchained

I need to just dive right into this by stating the obvious; this movie is extremely violent.  Considering that this blog is dedicated to movie reviews and not social issues I don't feel comfortable discussing my views on violence in movies and its effect on society.  Let's just leave the discussion at this:  if you have strong feelings against violence in movies you are not going near a Quentin Tarantino movie, ergo you aren't going to see Django Unchained.

With that out of the way, let me dive right into this review by letting you know that this movie is very well done.  Yes, the violence is out of control; a single bullet blows a hole a mile wide in someone and blood squirts out like old faithful.  The sounds in the movie are just as disturbing as the visuals so don't think you can get off easy by closing your eyes.  If you have seen other Tarantino movies you know that the violence is over the top and campy.   For me, the most disturbing parts in this movie were not so much the gratuitous violence but the slavery related scenes.  

It is very difficult seeing someone being treated as a lesser human being, period.  Seeing them being treated as lesser because they have a different color skin is sickening (my reaction photo is the face that I found myself making through a lot of the movie). As a regular reader you already know that I do not give away too much about a plot during a review.  In this case, I need to give up a little bit so you can make an educated decision as to whether this movie is for you or not. Slaves are "punished" through the following means:  thrown to a pack of dogs, branded, whipped and put into an underground metal box, just to name a few.  All of this and the "n" word is used in the movie COUNTLESS times.  As difficult as all of this is to hear and see it is good for me to remember that this actually happened in the country where I live.  

Quentin Tarantino proves himself to be a masterful film maker and writer by taking all of this and managing to make a really funny movie.  It is the kind of absurd humor that makes you wonder if you are supposed to be laughing, and that makes you laugh even harder.  I laughed out loud a lot during this movie, as did my fellow movie goers.

The cast is fantastic:  Jamie Foxx, Cristoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson.  The performances by each of these actors are amazing.  I could, however, do without Mr. Tarantino's need to pull cameos in most of his movies.  Attention Quentin Tarantino and M. Night Shymalan:  Alfred Hitchcock wants to rest in peace; give it up.

How to sum this up?  It is hard for me to say that everyone should go see this movie because that is far from the truth.  I really liked it but many will not.  I am sure I will agree 100% with those people and their reasons for disliking it.

Django Unchained is rated R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity.

What do you think of Ronda's Reaction to Django Unchained?