Showing @ Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh from Fri 18 Jan – Thu 24 Jan
Quentin Tarantino / USA / 2012 / 165 min
In light of last week’s Channel 4 outburst it seems the albatross of violence shall forever adorn Quentin Tarantino’s neck, but unlike the wanton sword slashing of Kill Bill the bloodshed in Django Unchained is presented with rather more subtext. Wandering bounty hunter Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz) releases Django (Jamie Foxx) from the shackles of slavery because he needs his help identifying a bounty. After the pair share a profitable winter hunting wanted men, Shultz decides to help Django in his plight to find his wife.
There’s a sheen to Tarantino’s Western that echoes the sleek, stylised production of Kill Bill yet it still manages to convey the essence of films produced in John Wayne’s era. The soundtrack (so important to Tarantino’s work) helps, utilising traditional tunes like Luis Bacalov‘s title theme from the Spaghetti Western Django, alongside Blues’ modern relative; Hip Hop. Although the story is far from original it’s more about the journey, re-enforcing the hardships suffered under slavery. Despite this the narrative unravels excitingly with unexpected twists combined with Tarantino’s flair for engaging dialogue and understated humour.
Gory scenes that Tarantino would’ve relished in the past (Reservoir Dogs‘ infamous ear cutting) are frequently edited short leaving you to imagine the horror for yourself, a far more powerful device. In fact the most affecting on-screen violence is the repeated maltreatment of the black slaves because of the shameful truth behind those regretful actions. While some characters do languish in their brutality their deeds aren’t added gratuitously; Shultz and Django’s revulsion upon witnessing the horrific acts giving them some perspective. By pairing a character employed by the state to kill with a freed slave, Tarantino juxtaposes the hostility of the gun-toting Wild West against the cruelty of persecuting an entire race, thus highlighting the hypocrisies between legality and morality. In light of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Tarantino reminds us the US has a history of grizzly behaviour.
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