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| North and South collide in Quentin Tarantino's latest raucously stunning spectacle, DJANGO UNCHAINED, out now on Blu-ray and DVD. Images: SONY. |
There used to be gold in them thar hills, but the landscape of the American West soon becomes a bloody battlefield of vendetta and personal justice, when liberated slave Django Freeman goes after the brutal men responsible for the previous savage treatment and procurement of himself, and the continued threat to the existence of his beloved wife Broomhilda to a life of misery and pain, in Quentin Tarantino's latest savagely beautiful, often very funny, intense thrill-ride DJANGO UNCHAINED, smashing free of its chains on Blu-ray and DVD this month courtesy of SONY.
Django Unchained - Official Trailer (HD) - YouTube
Django Unchained - Official Trailer #2 (HD) - YouTube
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| Licensed to kill. Django (Jamie Foxx) cements his quick-draw skills. |
Best described as GONE WITH THE WIND meets THE SEARCHERS meets Tarantino's previous epic INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, the iconic director's love letter to the western genre is a lively, superb treat to the thrill senses, packed with the kind of classic and stylishly inventive drama and comedy for which he's become so well known, mixing pulp action with surprisingly serious intent this time around-you certainly can't get more serious than the examination of American slavery shown here (a part of American history handled so rarely in previous cowboy movies), against some of the most surreal and authentically beautiful cinematography and set designs composed for a movie. Lead star Jamie Foxx has all the requisite heroism and boiling over defiance that you could want from a lead star in a revenge movie, and you'll be rooting for him every step of the way as he saddles up with his German bounty hunter buddy Dr. King Schultz (another supreme, well-deserved OSCAR winning performance of erudite enthusiasm from Christoph Waltz-one of the best things to happen to cinema in a while, back to inspire Tarantino's universe for a second time after his shocking memorable performance of dark hearted comedy villainy in INGLOURIOUS) in their epic embarkation through the season changing climes of old-style Americana, bonding in friendship and challenging battle to make their "flesh for cash" kills, firstly against the trio of the abhorrent Brittle Brothers who made Django's life such a whipped back hell years earlier, and secondly to free/rescue Broomhilda from the villainous clutches of the ambitious slaver owner, the French ancestored matriarch Calvin Candie (applause to Leonardo DiCaprio for taking on such a challenging role, often going beyond a lot of Hollywood A-listers comfort zones, bringing decadent repugnance to his actions) from within the huge estate he calls Candieland- the rottenest apple in the heart of the Mississippi, where sweetness is anything but lingering. Candie may be one of the richest men in the South when it comes to his control of the savage and murderous arena of Mandingo Fighting, plus the escalating demands of his slavery empire, but his family overlord/head servant Stephen, downright chillingly played with disguised cunning and superiority by Samuel L. Jackson (in another versatile performance), clearly shows the most relish with his grip on both his race and the Candie family, ultimately proving himself as the film's truest and vilest form of corrupt ambition you could ever encounter, as the story builds satisfyingly to the requisite, audience-friendly and explosive ending you know its going to get and deserve. Counter balancing the often intense shards of darkness, the humour within the film also has a satisfying edge to it, and provides one of the funniest after-credits scenes I've enjoyed in a long time.
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| He deals in lead! Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) collects another bounty. |
SCANDAL actress Kerry Washington, as Django's cherished reason to live, Broomhilda, brings delicate strength to her role in key scenes, alongside a terrific supporting cast of some of the all-time great character actors (including top-tier talent the likes of DEXTER's James Remar (here having two dutifully nasty roles to relish), Dennis Christopher (now playing seedy parts galore), THE SHIELD's Walton Goggins as the memorably big-toothed, big-eviled Billy Crash, and a strong cameo from MIAMI VICE's Don Johnson as a malevolent Colonel Saunders-type slave-owner, Big Daddy. There's also some very cool old-style western acting favourites present like Bruce Dern, Don Stroud, and even the likes of THE DUKES OF HAZARD's Tom Wopat, plus MATT HUSTON's Lee Horsley- all adding greatly to the films seasoned yet fresh-feeling flavour, within some superb set design from J. Michael Riva and a eclectically resplendent music score from a variety of sources- both elements act as unique characters to the film in their own right.
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| Django confronts the villainy of eccentric egotist slaver Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio)... |
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| ...and opportunist overlord Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson). |
If you never originally saw it in the cinemas, Blu-ray is the only way to see this film, alongside 40 minutes worth of special features that give us a solid but not fully comprehensive look at the making of the film-from the inventive and dedicated work that Tarantino, the cast, stunt team and horse wranglers achieved to bring new heights of bold fantasy action to the screen (alongside some loving tributes to the past), to the beautiful and lavish costume designs of Sharen Davis, and the dedicated pursuits of the late production designer J. Michael Riva (who sadly passed away as the film was nearing completion), working symbiotically with Tarantino to make this one of the most visually arresting and atmospheric western projects in a long time. There's also a brief trailer for the varied artists soundtrack, and the ultimate collection of Tarantino's 20-year career, also out now on Blu-ray. The lack of any major single featurette contribution or an audio commentary from the writer/director on the extras front is disappointing, but SONY are surely holding these out for a loaded two-disc special edition release somewhere down the line.
KOOL TV RATING: Film- 4 out of 5. Extras- 3 out of 5
A perfect gift for the upcoming UK FATHER'S DAY weekend, get DJANGO UNCHAINED here: Django Unchained (Blu-ray + UV Copy) [2013]: Amazon.co.uk: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Quentin Tarantino: Film & TV
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