Django Unchained - B

Rated R, 165 minutes

Tarantino's violent "Django Unchained" casts a hypnotic, retro vibe

Jamie Foxx

The vastly entertaining new drama "Django Unchained" is part spaghetti western, part Civil War and all of it unmistakably bears Quentin Tarantino's violent sometimes heavy hand. Overlong, over-the-top yet completely watchable, "Django Unchained," inspired by the 1967 spaghetti western "Django" starring Franco Nero (who cameos here), it's graphically violent but so mesmerizing you won't be looking away. Set in the deep south two years before the Civil War, slave Django (Jamie Foxx) finds himself paired with German bounty hunter King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), who is after the murderous Brittle brothers. Django himself has a purpose in helping Schultz, to find his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), whom he has been separated from. They discover she's at the infamous Candyland Plantation, run by the brutal Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), overseen by Candie's right-hand man and servant George (Samuel L. Jackson), and the two must risk their lives to rescue her. Directed and written by Tarantino, the film is a hypnotic, blatantly violent and enjoyable tribute to spaghetti westerns with some retro 1970's blaxploitation thrown in for good measure; it's "Mandingo" or "Roots" as seen through the eyes of Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood. It's too long, too talky and often heavy handed with a saggy second act that picks up to the considerably bloody over-the-top but fun finale that's well executed by Tarantino. Oscar-winners Waltz and Foxx ground the film well, a serviceable, unconventional pairing that works for that reason; the underused Washington of the TV show "Scandal" (and who played Foxx's wife in "Ray") is a lovely centerpiece. DiCaprio and Jackson chew up the scenery but their presence gives the film some life about midway through; DiCaprio's overacting is normally annoying, but here he's used well, while Jackson nearly steals the film with some of the best lines. Watch for the aforementioned Nero in a cameo, not to mention a large, eclectic cast who also appear briefly, including Tarantino himself, Dennis Christopher, Bruce Dern, Jonah Hill, Don Johnson, Amber Tamblyn and even "Dukes of Hazzard" star Tom Wopat (yes, you read that right). The heavy, graphic violence is typical of Tarantino, though most will object to the treatment of slavery (one racial epithet is used quite frequently), and the combo of the two may not make this film for everyone. Even with that, "Django Unchained," which part "Bonanza" and part "Taxi Driver," is one of the year's most enjoyable films and a treat especially for Tarantino fans.

Wes's Grade: B