Review of Django (1966) by John A — 26 Aug 2011

Django is probably the most infamous cult-classic in the Spaghetti Western sub-genre; but why? Even looking past the blatant stupidity of it all, such as the fact that there is somehow quicksand in the middle of a southwest Mexican desert, or the fact that Django has access to a machine gun that was decades away from being invented; 'Django' doesn't measure up where it really counts: entertainment value. Django himself, is too inept of a character to root for. He makes stupid decision after stupid decision. All of it due to lazy writing.

"How do we write in a scene in which Django slaughters a ton of men with his yet to be invented machine gun, yet still continue the film for another hour?".

"Just have him kill the main villain's entire personal army with it, and then have Django let the villain escape for literally no reason at all.".

"That is stupid, but I don't feel like thinking; we'll go with that.".

I imagine that that is how the entire writing process went. 'Django' is frustrating to watch. Spaghetti Westerns are nearly always all style, and no substance; but 'Django' doesn't really have either. It's surprisingly dull. It is not a very eventful hour and a half, even though it has a body count higher than many pure action films. There is just no energy. Are we supposed to be rooting for Django just because he is up against the KKK? He himself isn't likable at all. He only cares about himself, so in a way he is just as bad as the people he is up against. He just isn't a very interesting character.

The English dub of the film is easily the worst that I have ever heard from any film. It sounds like the voice actors are fighting to stay awake, and I don't necessarily blame them. The complete lack of human feeling in all of the voices make all of the characters blend together. It sounds like they got a few people off of death row to dub it a day before their execution. This makes an already bland film, almost unbearably bland.

'Django' isn't all bad though. Sergio Corbucci's direction is quite good throughout, and has been imitated in countless films. Some of the close-ups are incredible. The theme song is also great. The film itself is pretty well-made given what it is. It just doesn't have enough energy or flair to make up for the complete lack of depth or passion in its characters.

'Django' is often credited as the film that launched the Spaghetti Western sub-genre. That is probably true. It was incredibly popular on initial release, and spawned over 30 unofficial sequels. Over the years it has developed a huge cult following for some reason. There are much much better Spaghetti Westerns out there, and even more better American Westerns. It is still worth watching for Spaghetti Western enthusiasts, just to see where the sub-genres roots began.