Django Unchained (18)

Film

Westerns

Jamie Foxx, left, and Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

Time Out rating:

<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5

User ratings:

<strong>Rating: </strong>3/5
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Time Out says

Mon Jan 14

In the past decade there were those who – perfectly reasonably – assumed that Quentin Tarantino’s time had passed. Following the exhaustive movie-geek sprawl of the ‘Kill Bill’ movies, the crass indulgence of ‘Death Proof’ and the diverting but directionless ‘Inglourious Basterds’, it seemed like the ultimate fanboy had slipped into a terminal, self-congratulatory decline.

Well, somebody’s clearly rattled his cage, because ‘Django Unchained’, for all its digressive, episodic and frequently ludicrous nature, is a blazing return to form. This is a meaty spaghetti western, heavy on the spicy sauce and ketchup and peppered with the sort of unforgettable touches only Tarantino could get away with.

Last time around, Tarantino gave the Nazi top brass what for. This time, the topic for irreverent dissection is American slavery: Jamie Foxx is Django, freed from a chain gang by German bounty hunter Schultz (Christoph Waltz), and on a mission to rescue his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). Only trouble is, Hildy is owned by moustache-twirling Mississippi slavemaster Calvin Candy (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose ugly reputation precedes him.

The first thing to notice is how packed ‘Django Unchained’ feels. Tarantino’s love of pithy language hasn’t deserted him, but the dialogue never exists only for its own sake: every moment feels purposeful. The second is how great it looks: from the period design and incredible costumes – Foxx gets a dandyish blue silk number that could well spark a trend – to some gorgeous photography, particularly of human faces, this might be the director’s best-looking movie.There are problems: like every Tarantino film since the soulful ‘Jackie Brown’, ‘Django Unchained’ feels a little ersatz, favouring momentary thrills over lasting emotional punch. The romance between Django and Broomhilda is talked about in epic terms, but we never feel their connection, while the brutal dispatch of a couple of key characters late in the day is done with cold efficiency, when they deserved more.

But this is a film bursting with pleasures: the note-perfect performances (a director cameo aside, but that’s to be expected), a brace of close-to-the-bone, borderline offensive moments (Samuel L Jackson’s character will make jaws drop), the soaring cine-literate soundtrack, the sheer, relentless drive. So welcome back, Quentin. All may not be forgiven quite yet, but keep this up and even ‘Death Proof’ may vanish in the rearview.

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Release details

Rated:

18

UK release:

Fri Jan 18

Duration:

165 mins

Cinemas showing Django Unchained

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Prince Charles Cinema

7 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BP Show map/details

  • Address:

    Prince Charles Cinema 7 Leicester Place
    London
    WC2H 7BP

Map
  • Mon May 27:

    • 20:15

Whirled Cinema

259-260, Hardess Street, London, SE24 0HN Show map/details

  • Address:

    259-260
    Whirled Cinema Hardess Street
    London
    SE24 0HN

  • Phone:

    020 7737 6153

  • Website:

    www.whirledart.co.uk

  • Transport:

    Rail: Loughborough Junction

  • Map

    1. Whirled Cinema
Map
  • Wed May 29:

    • 20:30
  • Thu May 30:

    • 20:30
  • Fri May 31:

    • 20:30
  • Sun Jun 2:

    • 18:00

The Watermark

Ivybridge Library, Erme Court, Leonards Road, Ivybridge, PL21 0SZ Show map/details

  • Address:

    Ivybridge Library, Erme Court
    The Watermark Leonards Road
    Ivybridge
    PL21 0SZ

Map
  • Fri May 31:

    • 19:30

Saffron Screen

Audley End Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4UH Show map/details

  • Address:

    Saffron Screen Audley End Road
    Saffron Walden
    CB11 4UH

Map
  • Fri May 31:

    • 19:45

The Woodville

Windmill Street, Gravesend, DA12 1AU Show map/details

  • Address:

    The Woodville Windmill Street
    Gravesend
    DA12 1AU

Map
  • Tue Jun 11:

    • 13:00
    • 16:00
    • 19:00
  • Wed Jun 12:

    • 11:00
  • Sun Jun 16:

    • 15:00
    • 18:00
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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 3/5 (23 ratings)
  • I thought TimeOut had closed.

    tom Sat Jan 19
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  • merde

    j osullivan Sat Jan 19
    Rated as: 2/5
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  • Great history lesson its 1858 all white people are evil all black people noble So lets tell this revelation over nearly 3 hours with stylised dialogue ,direction and acting. oh throw in a knowing soundtrack,well he is a fan boy Only highlight Weitz recycling his performance from IB and Carnage But if this history lesson is true those nice people in Impossible and Les Mis were bastards as well... Oh I can feel the tears welling up !!!

    J O SULLIVAN Sat Jan 19
    Rated as: 2/5
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  • It was like a sort of violent Disney. For a film as long as this, it passes quickly enough but it's only OK. Everyone's mostly alright but no-one stands out. Sometimes it looks a bit clumsy / muddled. The woman who's shot from the side and still manages to be blown backward is a phoney puzzler. The trailers before it looked like shit but when it was all over, Django turned out not to have been much better.

    Phil Ince Fri Jan 18
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  • This is a popcorn Western using the slave trade as a backdrop to the core of it's story. The tale is a very very simple one, but Tarantino once again loses his discipline and stretches the life out of it. There is nothing new here whatsoever - Quentin having lost his panache a long time ago. However, Di Caprio gives the performance of his career with a bewitching performance which steals the film. There is not one single redeeming female character here and for a man as imaginative as Tarantino, this is unforgivable. The gunplay is straight out of the Sam Peckinpah back catalogue. The director's cameo will make you wince, proving once again that his vanity will prevent him from making another film to equal Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown.

    ARCHGATE Fri Jan 18
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  • Enough waffle will be written. 9/10

    scrumpyjoe Fri Jan 18
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • First we know in a Tarantino we will get a scene or two with long dialogue BUT... I would not have it any other way. every film he makes is exactly what Tarantino wants to make he holds back nothing and achieves with a single camera shot the intensity of a million dollar CGI fest. You can tell tht music his is drug he must sit down play a hundred songs and to each track Write the perfect movie Sergio Leone him self wold be proud of this modern twist of spaghetti western master piece. To say Death Proof is a bad movie is a joke same for Inglorious Basterds and to slate kill bill is a further joke. You sound like every other critic who sits there and just thinks its cool to slate his movies. yes you may have liked this one to some degree but to be truthful you have no idea the thought and passion that goes into it every camera angle every scene instead of just being shot to death by a DIR to get the right shot. He will be remembered as one of the best directors ever to live up there with other modern and old directors i.e Kubrick, Scorsese and Nolan. Whe n he goes and stops making movies what will we be left with but over produced bull crap. Apart from my rant hahaha I believe its another great film by the man him self.

    pulpsmith Sun Jan 13
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • Thought it was a great movie. After Basterdz I was afraid this will be QTs friend playing their favorite cowboy characters but thankfully I was wrong. It is a very serious movie that meditates on American history and relationships between it's citizens. I mean just take gung-ho violence seems to be in place as sort of US tradition and obsession. Film also looks great especially night scenes which seem to be lighted only by candle light. The things bothering me seems to be that some scenes were unnecessary like the part with KKK which didn't bring almost anything to the movie. But I guess it's becuase Sally Menke died and she was obviously only one with authority to tell QT when to leave out a scene.

    Gort Tue Jan 8
    Rated as: 4/5
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  • Very good performances but its long, quite boring and needlessly violent. Its quite muddled in places and struggles to hold the audiences attention in the final third. I won't see it again.

    Tom C Mon Jan 7
    Rated as: 2/5
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  • I like the way you SNIDE boy

    scrumpyjack Sun Jan 6
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