Unchain my Djdadndgdo

It took me a little while, but yes, I have now seen that particular entry from Tarantino. The plot isn't deep, and not really with talking about, as there is something far more pointed I want to addess.

While this movie moves along quickly, presents spectacle, and is slick and all... the problem I have with it is that there is no sense of threat. Django and Schultz are just so easily able to achieve their aims. Need to hunt down people? Done! Infiltrate Candiland, no problems! Get involved in a big battle at the end of the movie? No worries mate! There are moments where they are delayed and inconvenienced at best, but nothing has a chance of stopping them. Talk about Candie and Stephen all you like, but they are just there to yell and fulfil the role of the bad guy because the movie needed one, not because they are in any way actual problems to be fully considered and dealt with.

You know what I would have liked to see with this movie? We've already stepped into revenge fantasies that Quentin Tarantino likes, and we're already got the "shock" value of "a nigger on a nag", but have a black man go on a (rather low key, to be honest) revenge-fest isn't that much of a reach. What would have been really innovative would be to address one huge problem this movie has. What other people have been complaining about and being shouted down over. What underpins this movie is the 'damsel in distress' plot device. So... let's flip the genders. (With whatever suitable name alterations you need) have Django as a woman and Broomhilda as a man. You want to see a black man go on a rampage in slave America? How about a black woman doing it? Now that would have been a far more powerful movie! It's not like Tarantino has too many of those (woman as the protagonist) under his belt.

So, fine, nice enough movie to watch. But a failure to be something truly worth talking about.

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