At three hours long, I will just come out and say that "Django Unchained" was too long. However, on the flip side, I am not skilled enough to say where there were parts that could be cut. Director Quentin Tarantino has a specific style and part of that includes over-the-top violence mixed with a little goofy humor and original story lines.
Christoph Waltz (who plays the bad guy in "Water for Elephants) is the one who "unchains" Django and guides him through a winter of bounty hunter success. Waltz plays a smooth, unruffled character who is entertaining to watch and easy to root for.
Jamie Foxx plays the title character who turns from slave to sharp shooter on a quest to find and free his wife, Hildy from grimy plantation owner Calvin Candie (gotta love that name!). Candie (played by a fantastic Leonardo DiCaprio) along with his semi-sidekick Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson in the strangest makeup) uses his slaves for a different sort of torture by having them fight each other for sport.
The story is an interesting one, bits of dry humor and each person playing their part well. The violence is so gratuitous that it at times becomes comical and the whole movie is set up in a sort of Wild Wild West spoof. It can be tiring watching the whole thing unravel, but the process is mostly fun.
Django (the 'D' is silent) is a good film that at two hours and thirty minutes would've been even better.
Final rating: Liked it
Now playing in theatres
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