I just finished watching Django Unchained, and as a Tarantino fan, I wasnt surprised by how much I really enjoyed this film. The dialogue was great, the cinematography was outstanding, the storyline fascinating, and the performances of the actors, for the most part, was an absolute joy to experience. The real surprise, for me, was the performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. In all honesty, I have had a real dislike for his acting in past films, and have never really understood why he has been so loved by his fans. I have always viewed him in the same way I saw Keanu Reeves, or even Richard Gere - very empty wooden shells who some might think fill a pair of underwear quite nicely, without ever delivering any depth or soul through their characters. Unlike actors like Ed Norton or our own Eric Bana, or in this film, Christoph Waltz, who allow their characters to come to life inside their skins, and live and breathe in our imaginations long after the closing credits have fade to black. I always assumed it just comes down to personal taste with some actors, and I have never found DiCaprios offerings in anyway appealing. Until now. With this performance, I forgot about the actor, and followed the character through his role in the story - just as it should be. Not a great performance, but definitely a more substantial and solid performance than in the past. The biggest disappointment in this film for me, was the performance of Jamie Foxx. As he traveled beside Christoph Waltz, his slightly muted character held a mystique that Foxx portrayed wonderfully. As the rougher sidekick to the polished character played by Waltz, Foxx provided a contrast that lifted both characters, and their growing friendship was enjoyable to follow. Once Waltzs character dies, Foxxs role slides down into something cartoonish, that I feel, is out of place in this film. This might have something more to do with Tarantinos storytelling style than Foxxs acting ability. A similar situation occurred in Tarantinos Inglourious Basterds, where Brad Pitts character fell into a similar cartoonish mode that I felt seemed out of place in that film. Tarantinos soundtrack for Django was very interesting. The ghosts of Elvis and Johnny Cash echoed through the films landscape, and were joined by more modern rock and hip hop, and though the tunes were often widely different, they all played comfortably to the scenes they underscored. The only question left for me, is why did it take so long for me to finally see this film? To all my friends who kept pestering me to see it, thank you, and yes, I loved it!
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 03:30:04 +0000
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