Django Unchained ★★★★½

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Australia: 24th January 2013; USA 25th December UK 18th January 2013
Other Countries: Release Dates 

 

 

 Quentin Tarantino is a director who does not come lightly to any project.  He has a history of unabashedly focusing his pin-point wit and dark, bloody humor on a subject to the point where you are reeling, albeit enjoyably.   In his last outing, eight times Academy Award®-nominated INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, he cast his view upon World War II and the bloody inhumanity required to survive.  Might I mention, you will find in any Tarantino film review the word ‘bloody’ figuring often.

Now he’s turned to the era of slavery in the US Southern states during the 1800s.  But Tarantino being Tarantino, has decided to approach this historic time of moral complexity by setting the story as a Spaghetti Western. He says, “I’ve always wanted to do a Western.  I like all kinds of Westerns, but since Spaghetti Westerns have always been my favorite, I thought that the day I do one, it would be in that Sergio Corbucci universe.” 

And whilst DJANGO UNCHAINED has all the hallmarks of Tarantino, it  feels refreshingly new.  “Quentin’s intense study of the genre led to the inspired idea of mashing up the slave narrative with the Spaghetti Western which creates a movie we have never seen before,” adds Producer Reginald Hudlin.

The name “Django” is familiar to fans of Spaghetti Westerns: Franco Nero (who makes a cameo appearance in this) first portrayed the character in 1966 in DJANGO.  Indeed, the original DJANGO was so popular that other films borrowed the name as a marketing tool.  The more imaginative titles include DJANGO, KILL; DJANGO THE AVENGER; VIVA! DJANGO, and BALLAD OF DJANGO. 
 

In the opening scene of DJANGO UNCHAINED we meet Django (Jamie Foxx) marching in a chain-gang of slaves on their way to new owners.  Along comes the very cool and unflappable German-born Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz) requesting to purchase Django who has worked previously for the Brittle Brothers.  All does not go well (imagine a lot of blood) for the chain-gang leaders when they decline his offer and we realize the very well-mannered Schultz is a proficient killer.

Schultz, as it turns out, is a bounty hunter who reiterates often that the criminals he tracks are worth money ‘Dead or Alive’; and in each case, dead seems better.  He enlists Django to help him track the Brittle Brothers and they team up as an unlikely pair of bounty hunters.  The startled looks of townsfolk, as Django rides in on a horse with Schultz, signals the taboo of a white and black man working together.  It’s the deep prejudices of the time that make for some of the funniest lines in the film.  There is a Ku Klux Klan scene that is as good as they come. 

Django reveals that he and his beloved wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) were separated years ago due to the slave trade.  As a friendship blossoms between Schultz and Django during their bounty hunting the two track her whereabouts to Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of “Candyland,” an infamous plantation.  It’s a wild ride along the way and one that leaves a trail of Tarantino inspired bloody corpses riddled with bullet holes.
 

 

One of the key strengths of the film is the portrayals by the leads.  Jamie Foxx’s Django evolution from anxious, submissive slave to an arrogant, confident Mandingo trainer is convincing.  Nominated for a Golden Globe for the role, Leonardo DiCaprio took on his first truly villainous character in playing Calvin Candie.  Originally Tarantino was thinking of an older actor for the part but after DiCaprio read the script and they talked Tarantino reworked the story to create a Caligula type ''boy Emperor' character that suited the actor.  And Christopher Schwarz’s juxtapositional role as the kind-hearted mentor to Django whilst calmly executing his bounty prey for money is a pure joy.
 

This is a 165 minute blood fest. Tarantino even manages to throw himself in a scene (with an interesting Australian accent) for a just-for-fun appearance. And that is the thing with him; he has fun in his own unashamedly bloody way and has been doing so since his 1992 RESERVOIR DOGS. If you are Tarantino fan then you will happily follow him wherever he travels. You know the territory.  If you are not, maybe take a peek anyway.  This may be the one that changes your mind. And did I mention there is a lot of blood?

 

Official Movie Website http://www.djangounchained.com.au/

 

 

     Are you a Quentin Tarantino fan?

 

 

Killing Them Softly ★ ★ ★ ★

It's a Hard Business

 

Australia: 11th October, 2012; USA 30th November UK 21st September

Other Countries: Release Dates

There is nothing soft about the way people die in KILLING THEM SOFTLY.  In the same vein as the recent SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS, and cult classic PULP FICTION, if you are squeamish with on-screen blood and brutal killings then you may want to drag out THE GODFATHER instead—which seems so terribly mild these days.

In fact, it seems the violence in films has increased dramatically in the past few years and you can’t help wondering if it is art reflecting life or vice versa.  How can a violent assault on a racketeer, or killing after killing of not so innocent victims be entertaining even enlightening? 
Yet, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, written for the screen and directed by Andrew Dominik, certainly gives you an insight into the notion that even the bad guys are taking a hit (excuse the  pun) as a result of the economic downturn.

Based on the George V. Higgins novel, ‘Cogan’s Trade’, we enter the world of underworld enforcer Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt).  He’s the go-to guy when you want somebody taught a “life” lesson or removed from the playing field.

Markie Trattman (Ray Liotta) has the misfortune of having his mob poker game robbed by two of the dumbest thieves you will ever meet Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn).  Imagine that, for gloves for the heist, Russell brings over-sized bright yellow washing up numbers.  Yep, say no more.  And most of the time they are either stoned, drunk or bringing themselves into harm’s way from sheer stupidity. 

The Mob is clearly a professional corporation, with Richard Jenkins (the driver) as the messenger, who brings in Jackie to investigate the robbery and dispense justice.  He in turn brings in Mickey (James Gandolfini) an esteemed hit-man.  It’s a cat and mouse game with the very cool Jackie becoming increasingly frustrated with the idiocy of hit-men, the mob and the ignorant heist guys.

It’s funny and gritty, and although a little unwieldy in parts, the corporate suffering financial constraints concept—albeit the mob—and the cool manner in which Cogan runs his enforcer business—as if he is delivering newspapers instead of death—makes a riveting story.

 

 

 

Bernie ★ ★ ★ ½

Did You Hear the One about the Aunt in a Freezer?


Release Dates

Australia: 16th August, 2012 USA DVD Release 21st August, 2012
Other Countries: Release Dates

The title of the April 2012 article in the New York Times says it all, “How My Aunt Marge Ended Up in the Deep Freeze . . .”   The article written by Joe Rhodes, the nephew of Marjorie Nugent, (the frozen Aunt), recounts the true-life story of much loved Bernie Tiede, assistant funeral director, and affluent and mean spirited Marjorie in the tiny town of Carthage Texas. 

If you weren’t told it was true, you wouldn’t believe it.  And even as the end credits of the mockumentary film “Bernie” roll, you sit there still mesmerised by the attitudes of the townsfolk, who just can’t believe that in 1996 their beloved Bernie turned murderer.  Even if he was a killer, the consensus of the townsfolk is he should be given a medal not life.

Directed by Richard Linklater, the film chronicles, in documentary style, Carthage’s Bernie (Jack Black) befriending Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), whom Linklater labours to assure us is one of the nastiest human beings you would ever meet.  A friendship develops between the 39-year-old Bernie and the 81-year-old millionaire Marjorie and they spend the next few years travelling the world and living the high life on her dime.  Eventually, she even writes him into her will and signs over her power of attorney.

Marjorie, who had blossomed during the friendship, increasingly turns more possessive and demanding with Bernie, until one day he snaps, shooting her and disposing of her body in a freezer under the frozen vegetables and pot pies.   For the next nine months he then continues as normal with his life, creating ever-changing excuses as to her unavailability, whilst ploughing through two million dollars of her money.

So popular is Bernie, that Danny Buck Davidson, (Matthew McConaughey), the district attorney, faces an uphill battle to convict if the trial is held in Carthage, uttering one of the classic film lines during the trial, “Oh, he’s an angel, all right. An angel of death!”

The film whilst not all out hilarious certainly will leave you guiltily chuckling at the off-beat attitudes of the town’s residents. Wait through the credits for some of the best lines as townsfolk have their final say on Bernie’s crime and Marjorie receiving her just deserts.

Says nephew Joe Rhodes, ‘I think my visit to the “Bernie” set may have been more unsettling to some of the cast and crew than it was to me. As Skip Hollandsworth, who co-wrote the screenplay, introduced me around, a few people clearly weren’t sure how to react. Should they apologize for making a comedy about my aunt’s murder? Should they say they were sorry for my loss? I told them not to worry about it. “Bernie’s not the first one who thought about killing her,” I told them. “He’s just the first one who went through with it.”

Like all black comedies, the comedy in Bernie is that this is something about which you should not be laughing.  But when you have real-life characters sprouting lines such as "There are people in town, honey, that woulda shot her for five dollars," you know you have permission to laugh at this tabloid story. And if you don’t read tabloid, go anyway just to watch the three leads bring their ‘A’ game to this display of humanity at its most bizarre.