Review of Django Unchained (2012) by John R — 26 Nov 2017

171124: Last movie of the year. I assume the very high Flixster rating is not the result of true western fans but rather, Tarantino fans. What I'm saying is it seems a bit knee jerk, four stars being my absolute maximum (at this time, one hour after seeing Django Unchained).

I have had many thoughts on this film and will provide the two negatives I can think of. First off, this is a long film. Long, but not painfully so. The action and characters keep the time moving fairly well.

Secondly, I absolutely dislike (this is a continuing attempt by me not to use the word "hate"), I repeat dislike, any shooting scenes in which bullet wounds are just not realistic. The best, and worst, example of this can be seen in 1995's The Quick and the Dead, which coincidently, starred Leonardo DiCaprio.

Now I love The Quick and the Dead (1995) but the scene where Sgt. Cantrell is killed likely cost that film one whole star. A hole through the head where you can see through to Cantrell's killer, Herod? That scene alone almost destroyed The Quick and the Dead for me.

In a similar manner, the second shooting scene in Django Unchained, in which the shackled slaves shoot Dicky Speak (Russo) with a shotgun, is just too overdone. Huge flying chunks of meat do not add to a film.

More realism please. The same sort of situation occurs when Django shoots Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly, Calvin Candie's sister. Being shot does not throw someone backward at blazing speed. Man, I...dislike those two scenes.

Now the good points, which are many. A great story that doesn't drag, even over a nearly three-hour span. An amazing cast of actors portraying equally fun, wild characters. Great villains and henchmen.

Just plain fun people to love or hate. Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, Walt Goggins, Christoph Waltz, James Remar, Jonah Hill, Bruce Dearn, Michael Parks, Keith Carradine and James Russo are just a few of my favorites who make an appearance.

Did Tarantino appear, or should I say, disappear? Lots of action, cool costumes and sometimes exotic weapons. What more can a western fan ask for? And, stay for the end of the credits. A short wait ends with an equally short added scene.

Nice way to spend my New Year's Eve. Happy 2013 everyone. Loved the underused Tracker character (Zoe Bell).