Romance / Action / Comedy / Intrigue
Going in, I didn’t know anything about the movie other than it was a “cowboy” movie, with a black guy in it (Jamie Foxx). In the end, I really liked the movie and it was well worth the $20+ (ticket + popcorn) and very crowded theatre.
Characters that you instantly connect with and care about: Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a bounty hunter who often returns criminals “dead” because it was simpler than “alive,” was charming and likable. He had a knack for talking his way out of tricky situations (with hundreds of guns aimed at him), and his lightning-fast draw was an added advantage. At one point, while teaching Django how to shoot, he emphasizes that being “smooth is more important than fast, and more important than smooth is being accurate.”
You kind of like him and want to see him succeed because he says right at the beginning that he doesn’t like slavery and he is going after criminals with deed in hand – similar to Dexter on HBO.
Jamie Foxx / Django was chivalrous and strong in mind/character and body.
Kerry Washington as Broomhilda was captivating and beautiful.
Jonah Hill brought a comedic style that almost seemed to break their placement in 1858 (two years before the civil war)…
Leonardo DiCaprio was really not an endearing or pleasant character as Calvin Candie, head of Candieland Plantation, which had been in his family for generations. He had a demented relationship with his family, his clan of white workers, and even his house slaves.
Samuel L Jackson was almost unidentifiable as Calvin Candie’s caretaker/slave, but for his voice. And I knew his character “Steven” was shifty!
We thought we spotted Kate Hudson, but she wasn’t listed in the cast. Quentin Tarantino was definitely in the film, appearing for a bit before he fell into a hole. I also saw, but didn’t confirm until checking the IMDB cast list: Amber Tamblyn, Bruce Dern, Don Johnson, Ned Bellamy, and more…
There were a lot of really uncomfortable moments in the movie – the level of ignorance of whites towards slaves displayed in many scenes made it uncomfortable enough to the point where I couldn’t even eat my popcorn… and so that I felt a little internal cheer as each of the slave drivers was killed.
My companion at the movie said it was like murder/porn for black people; I thought, similar to how Inglourious Basterds (also by Quentin Tarantino) was a movie that portrayed a fantasy revenge for Jews during WWII. I remembered most of my Jewish friends and family really liked the movie, but I didn’t really find anything for me in it… Interesting to note – Christoph Waltz was also in Inglourious Basterds, a role which won him the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award and many other accolades.
The movie theatre was chilled and hushed, but there were many moments of twisted comedy and violence, a way to make it enjoyable to watch people meet the end “they deserved” for their participation in the torture and treatment of slaves and sport fighting.
The state of Texas was a majestic feature character in the movie, as was Mississipi, and I was surprised to see mountain ranges and a lot of snow and herds of buffalo and antelope… In the credits of the film, they are clear to say “No Horses Were Harmed In The Making of This Film”.
Oh and one question I was left with – was that a prosthetic “movie penis”?
To address the qualification/relevance of my movie review here on this social/digital media blog, I will say that I really liked the digital interactivity of the TimePlay Pre-Movie Games that encourage scene cardholders to play against/with other theatre attendees interactively with the games & quizzes on screen. The Koodo mascot seemed a great target for snowballs and points (which can be redeemed for movie theatre rewards).