Tuesday Releases: Django Unchained

April 16, 2013 / 1 Comment

APRIL 16TH, 2013

DJANGO UNCHAINED // Had “Django Unchained” followed the story set in its marketing and, with that, followed a much shorter run-time, Tarantino’s latest film could have been much closer to perfection. Instead, it remains an above-average exploitation film with above-average performances, that just cannot seem to tell its story properly. “Django” starts off impeccably, introducing the main characters, Django (Jamie Foxx) and Dr. Schultz, played by Christoph Waltz, who unarguably steals the show. The plot progression grows weary, portraying the story too much like a checklist, instead of a building up of moments. With most films that become epics, the moments build up, one on top of another, until several culminations drive to the conclusion. “Django” takes a different format of crossing one moment off the list at a time, ending the film with the crossing off of one moment instead of several. Despite all of this, with impressive showing from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson and some high caliber dialogue which resonates long after the film, “Django” is still a unique endeavor into the world of the Western melded with slave vengeance that has Tarantino’s passion smeared all over it.