Django Unchained
Overview
Django Unchained is a 2012 revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx as Django, a freed slave who becomes a bounty hunter. The film is set in the antebellum South, two years before the Civil War. Django is a slave on a plantation in Texas when he is bought by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German-born dentist turned bounty hunter. Schultz needs Django to identify the Brittle brothers, a group of brutal slave owners that Schultz is hunting. In return, Schultz promises to free Django and pay him a share of the bounty. Django proves to be a natural bounty hunter, and Schultz trains him. They form an unlikely partnership. Django reveals that his true goal is to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), who was sold to the brutal and cruel plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Schultz and Django travel to Candyland, Candie's massive plantation in Mississippi, and pose as potential buyers of Candie's "Mandingo fighting" slaves. They are hosted by Candie and his head house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), a manipulative and treacherous man who suspects the truth. The film is a violent, bloody, and darkly comedic revenge fantasy. Tarantino does not shy away from the brutality of slavery, showing whippings, dog attacks, and the horror of the "hot box." But the film is also a celebration of black heroism and resistance. The climax of the film is a spectacular shootout, with Django killing Candie, Stephen, and almost everyone else in Candyland. He blows up the plantation, frees the slaves, and rides off into the night with Broomhilda. Jamie Foxx is stoic and cool as Django, while Christoph Waltz is charming and witty as Schultz, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Leonardo DiCaprio is terrifying as Candie, and Samuel L. Jackson gives one of his most memorable performances as the despicable Stephen. Django Unchained was a critical and commercial success, earning over $425 million worldwide. It won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz and Best Original Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino. The film is a powerful, controversial, and unforgettable Western about the fight for freedom and the power of love.
