Scheduled for release at the end of 2012 is the latest film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Following on from stylized revenge thriller Kill Bill, and slow-burning, dialogue-rich Inglorious Basterds; Django Unchained promises to be Tarantino’s most ambitious and enthusiastic homage to exploitation cinema yet. The “Django” in the title alludes to eponymous hero of Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 spaghetti western, which was deemed so violent that it was banned by the BBFC until 1993. Corbucci’s Django was, however, a huge cult hit and spawned over thirty unofficial sequels and countless reboots and pastiches. It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that avid cinephile Tarantino has decided to give the story a big-budget revamp into the mainstream.
In Corbucci’s Django, the protagonist is a mysterious coffin-dragging vigilante, who marauds the Old West seeking revenge. Django Unchained, however, tells the story of a freed slave, Django (played by Jamie Foxx), who treks across the American deep south with a German bounty hunter, Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz), in order to emancipate his wife from the clutches of a sadistic plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). The supporting cast is also set to feature performances from the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Jonah Hill, Kerry Washington, Zoe Bell, RZA, M.C. Gainey, and the original Django - Franco Nero.
So what can we expect from the latest Django? Will the big budget and all-star cast lead to a huge hit or a mega flop? Given Tarantino’s previous efforts, and considering his passion for grindhouse movies and aesthetic violence, Django Unchained promises to be an intense Southern drama filled with cool, pithy dialogue, striking set-pieces and graphic, stylised action. Whether you’re Tarantino’s biggest fan or harshest critic, one thing’s for sure - Django Unchained will certainly be a major talking point over Christmas dinner.
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