D-J-A-N-G-O ("the D is silent") Unchained is a film by Quentin Tarantino starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L Jackson. Touted as a Spaghetti Western, this film production is anything but low budget and foreign. With a budget of 83 million dollars, it is filmed and produced primarily in California and other parts of the United States. It has its fair share of controversy that takes place in the old west and the deep south. Its excessive use of the N-word and over the top violence are bold, daring and nerve-rattling. Jamie Foxx stars as Django, a slave-turned bounty hunter with the help of a German dentist named Dr. King Schultz (played by Christoph Waltz). Dr. Schultz disguises as a dentist but is actually a bounty hunter himself, who roams across the country killing wanted criminals to collect ransom and monetary rewards. He recruits and trains Django to help him through the winter and in return, helps Django find and rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from her owner, Calvin Candie (played wonderfully by the talented Leonardo DiCaprio).
This film is bloody violent as expected of a Tarantino film (a la Kill Bill) where blood splatters everywhere during one heavy action scene. It portrays a realistic depiction of slavery in early America but doesn't take itself too seriously. Jamie Foxx plays his character with a straight face. This is another revenge movie like Tarantino's Kill Bill, except it's more wacky and playful. It has some funny dialogues delivered by some of the best actors of this generation. Christoph Waltz has the best lines in the movie and his character, Dr. King Schultz, is easily well-liked. Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Calvin Candie, is scripted as an evil racist plantation owner. Candie enjoys watching slaves fight to their deaths, and there's a horrific scene where he lets loose rabid dogs to attack a slave who refuses to fight. He grows up around slaves his entire life and questions why they never try to kill him. He makes a very racist observation about the skull of a black man in comparison to that of a white man. However, even with all that said, Dicaprio's portrayal of the character makes it hard to hate the guy. Samuel L Jackson plays Candie's Uncle Tom manservant named Stephen. He is almost unrecognizable in this movie. Stephen is very loyal to Candie, and even go to the extremes to argue with Candie about how Django shouldn't be treated as a guest nor be allowed to sleep in the house because he's Black. He punishes Broomhilda for her attempt to escape the plantation by locking her naked in a box out in the field. He sucks up to Candie any chance he can get, and Samuel L Jackson plays him excellently. Tarantino also makes a cameo later in the film.
This movie doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should the audience. It's a fun movie to watch, and even campy at times. There's a funny scene with Don Johnson (as Spencer "Big Daddy" Bennett) and his gang preparing an ambush on Django and Schultz. They can't decide whether or not to wear a white mask over their heads during the ambush. It's laugh out loud funny watching the entire gang behaving childishly as they argue over such trivial things. Jonah Hill makes a very brief cameo here as one of the gang members. The film also features some original music tracks with enough catchy songs to fit every scenes perfectly. There's a scene where hip hop music plays in the background and (although may seem out of place since hip hop hasn't been invented back then) it does suit the ambiance appropriately. At almost 3 hours long, it does seem a bit long. There are a few moments where the film begins to lose its momentum but quickly catches up before any interest is lost. The final showdown is every bit as nerve-rattling as anyone could imagine. This is another fun movie by Tarantino with plenty of action and violence for fans of this genre.