The Movie: Django Unchained (2012)
Studio: The Weinstein Co.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx as Django, Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Schultz, Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin Candie, Kerry Washington as Broomhilda and Samuel L. Jackson as Stephen
Screenwriters: Quentin Tarantino
RottenTomatoes: 89% MetaCritic: 80/100
Snippet from My Review: (read my full review here)
Not since Michael Madsen sliced off a police officer’s ear in Reservoir Dogs, and poured gasoline on the open wound, have I felt such an emotional response to violence in a Tarantino film. Torturing Nazis in Inglourious Bastereds is one thing, but watching two slaves battle to the death and the canine torture of another is tough to sit through. Tarantino’s films are known for their gratuitous violence, and there is no lack of gratuitous violence in Django Unchained, but Tarantino also knows the line between gratuitous and unsettling and he walks it with unblinking confidence, making Django his most mature piece to date as well as one of the most rewarding.
Starter Questions
Here are a few questions I’m interested in outside of just your general opinion of the film and what you thought of it that may help conversation.
1.) Spike Lee has made a point to say this film is disrespectful to his ancestors. Do you agree Django Unchained plays fast and loose with such a dark and ugly portion of American history?
2.) Did you find portions of the films hard to watch due to the violence and the content of the film?
3.) Did it bother you that Django was one of the least interesting characters in the film, or do you disagree with that characterization?
Now share your thoughts on the film in the comments below and feel free to include spoilers.
