Tarantino Being Tarantino

Django Unchained is a bit of a conundrum, largely in part due to it's creator Quentin Tarantino. I have had long love/hate relationship with his movies. When he debuted in 90's  with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction I rode shotgun on the Tarantino bandwagon, but as time wore on and more and more of his personality came to light I started to sour. Tarantino strikes me as that kid in middle school that got crammed in a trashcan and rolled down the hill and who was rejected by cheerleaders in high school. He has spent the rest of his life trying to prove to all of us that he really is cool. That desperation for hipness bleeds through in everything he makes. This is not to say he is without talent because he does have a sharp eye and a feel for jaunty banter. He also has a encyclopedic knowledge of film history and flair for homage. That can be double edge sword though, what differentiates insightful reference and a lack of his own voice?

That brings us back to Django Unchained which is Tarantino's spin on spaghetti westerns. It's Tarantino through and through. From soundtrack to visuals it all screams "LOOK HOW COOL I AM!" and occasionally it's right. There are scenes that feature genuine humor and visual flash as well as some solid performances in particular from Sam Jackson, who steals all of his scenes. All of this is smothered in Tarantino juice and there's the rub. If you love him you'll the love movie but if you think he's a pretentious douche bag this movie won't change your opinion. So many of his conceits took me right out of the movie from his typical "hip" soundtrack to Jamie Foxx's sunglasses.

Django Unchained like most of Tarantino’s movies is unapologetic in it's violence and often wanders the gray wastes of where just tasteless ends and where offensive begins. One has to question if he makes these forays for anything other then shock value. Despite all of Tarantino's efforts, he doesn't quite drive me away. Beneath it all Django Unchained is a serviceable revenge tale with several water cooler moments but beyond that? ... More shock then awe.

Rating : 3 out of 5 stars

IMDB :  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/
Rotten Tomatoes:  http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/django_unchained_2012/
Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Unchained