Django Unchained

Twenty years ago, we were introduced to a little independent film called "Reservoir Dogs," written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who today is regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time. He's one of those directors that's old school, by being one of those directors that still uses actual film for his movies. And today, we take a look at his newest film, "Django Unchained."

The film tells of a Civil War slave named Django, whose taken under the wing of a bounty hunter named Dr. King Shaultz. In exchange for taken out some heads, Shaultz agrees to help Django get his wife from Calvin Candie, and be granted true freedom. While it's one of the more simpler plots of Tarantino's films, it doesn't mean it can't be great. This film is a true love letter to all those classic spaghetti westerns from back in the 60's. Top it all off with some very gory action scenes, a third act that is the biggest blood bath you'll ever see, and you've got a Tarantino Western.

The characters are very enjoyable in their own little way. Christoph Waltz gives a great performance as the good Dr. Shaultz. His presence gives off a unique fell to it, that makes you wonder if you should fear this guy or be relieved. Those types of wild card characters are one of the many, MANY charms of a Tarantino film. Leonardo DiCaprio really does a magnificent job as Calvin Candie, playing just a sleazeball and a classy businessman all in one. There's one scene where DiCaprio accidentally cuts his hand by accident, but still carries on with the scene. That scene ALONE gathers this as DiCaprio's best performance in a movie. Samuel L. Jackson is also a great character, playing Calvin's trusted worker, and he gives it the traditional Jackson/Tarantino performance. What really caught my attention, was that it was hard to tell who was the true villain of the movie, DiCaprio or Jackson? While DiCaprio is the plantation owner, Jackson seemed to have that presence showing it was HE who was in charge, giving DiCaprio the information needed. Whatever the case, the relationship between the two was stunning.

However, the performance that really stole the show, was Jamie Foxx as Django, and he gave it his all for this movie. He's soft spoken, but can be aggressive if pushed to his limits, as well as being very funny. This definitely set the bar for him, as it is Foxx's best performance yet. I've heard that he would be playing Electro for "Amazing Spiderman 2," and I can definitley see that, and that's something I'll be looking forward to.

Overall, "Django Unchained" is one of Tarantino's best and stands as one of my favorite movies of this year...speaking of which, it's time for the yearly rundown of the best and worst. Stay tuned for that, coming soon.

Rating: 10/10