DJANGO UNCHAINED IS THE FASTEST GUN IN THE SOUTH

Silly, stupid me. You'd think I would have come to expect only the best from Quentin Tarantino, and that's what he gives us here.....one of his best.

In Django Unchained, Django (Jaime Foxx) is a slave who is freed by bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Django is the only man who can identify Dr. king's next bounty, so Dr. King teams up with Django and trains him to be a top bounty hunter. Django intends to use his new skills to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington, who mainly screams here and not much else), who has been sold to a maniacal plantation owner named Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Let's get something straight right off the bat here: Tarantino doesn't make movies, he makes glorious, slow passionate love to the big screen. The sweeping vistas and the way the camera is used is stunningly gorgeous. The costume designs and sets are elaborate and beautifully realized, if Django Unchained doesn't walk away with an Oscar for set design and costumes, it's a damn shame.

Also on display here is Quentin's usual fantastic script. Now, he does use the "N" word a lot during the film (mainly during the 2nd act when we are at "Candie-land", the name of Candie's plantation), but I never felt that it was too intrusive or noticeable except for a few moments here or there.  Now, Quentin, as usual, can get a bit too cocky at times (like a final "horse dance" at the end) and this does detract from the film a bit and there are times where it feels like we are laughing along with the characters at the negroe's misfortunes which is bound to leave somewhat of a bad taste in audience's mouths. That said, the film overall, while a good deal darker than other Tarantino films, is still entirely enjoyable for the most part.

Jaime Foxx is downright superb as the titular character, Django. He is completely believable as a slave turned bounty hunter imbued with a righteous anger. Nice little touches help add to the believability like Django learning to read and being told certain words meanings that he never knew before. Over all, Foxx is a complete joy to watch and it helps that he plays his role pretty seriously for the most part.

Christoph Waltz is back as bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (his name seems to be an obvious reference to another famous Dr. King). Him and Tarantino seem to be a match made in heaven. Tarantino knows how to direct the great actor, and Waltz seems to genuinely enjoy every second he has in this film. Needless to say, his performance here is not quite as great as his breakthrough in Inglourious Basterds, but this is easily 2nd best no doubt in my mind.

Leonardo DiCaprio once again proves what we all should know by now, that he is a force to be reckoned with. He plays his role of Calvin Candie with all the force of a hurricane. He plays his part with a warm smile that hides an all too sinister glee. For the most part he is a friendly face, but his scary depths can emerge at the most unexpected of times, giving this character an unpredictable and even terrifying edge.

Samuel L. Jackson appears late in the film, but his performance here is one of the hidden treats of the film. He plays the house "N" word that may not be quite as dumb as he is making himself out to be. Easily him and DiCaprio have the best dynamic in the film as one is the figurehead and the other is the real brains. I've never seen Jackson tackle a role with such glee in years. He is having fun with the part he has been given to play and this is easily one of his all time best performances and the power dynamic/struggle him and DiCaprio share makes the film all the more richer and fun to watch.

Expect to see Django Unchained to have a definite presence at the Oscars this year. The film does run around 20 minutes too long, but that doesn't detract from any of the fun to be had here. Yes, Tarantino's usual final act bloodfest is on full display here, and boy is it glorious (though the gushing geysers of blood can be a bit too much at times).  Django Unchained is easily one of the best films of the year for me, easily surpassing Argo and Les Mis. If you are in the mood for a bloody, somewhat controversial good time then saddle up your horse for Django and hold on for one helluva wild ride.

4.5/ 5 Stars