In 2009, Quentin Tarantino delivered his finest effort with Inglourious Basterds, a genre
blending, fictionalized tale of Jewish Allied soldiers out to assassinate Nazi leaders. Now,
3 years later, he sets his aim on slave owners in Django Unchained, a spaghetti western set in
America's Deep South. Starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz,
and Kerry Washington, the film depicts the story of a freed slave (Foxx) who travels across America
with a German dentist turned bounty hunter (Waltz) to rescue his wife (Washington) from a sadistic
plantation owner (DiCaprio). With influences ranging from grindhouse to kung fu, Django has tremendous
style and stellar performances along with a pulp pounding soundtrack. All are hallmarks of
Tarantino, whose bold ideas, cheeky humor, and graphic violence make Django Unchained a guilty
pleasure. Wildly provocative, Django is a revenge film best served cold.
