I'm not the type to hand out a 1-rating to bring a movie's average down, but Django seems to receive more accolades than it should. From Reservoir Dogs on, I've seen every single Tarantino release in the theaters. This is the first time my friends had to carry me out - literally sleeping.
Django starts off well enough, with a great opening salvo that locks down the Oscar for Cristopher Waltz in about 15 minutes. But after an hour, the script starts to drag, and the snappy one-liners disappear. By the time DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson enter, the movie is effectively on life support. Neither can save it, with the plot spelled out and the pace gone. The death knell comes from Waltz, who has to relinquish his lead role to the good - but not great - Jamie Foxx. Foxx is promptly sent into a revenge-by-the-numbers routine we've seen several times from Tarantino.
Which is where I fell asleep. In the end, Django gets bonus points for its clever tackle of a tricky subject, and for a first hour that ranks among the most entertaining I've seen this year. But it's not in the league of Inglourious Basterds, which isn't in the league of Jackie Brown, which isn't in the league of Pulp Fiction.
Django starts off well enough, with a great opening salvo that locks down the Oscar for Cristopher Waltz in about 15 minutes. But after an hour, the script starts to drag, and the snappy one-liners disappear. By the time DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson enter, the movie is effectively on life support. Neither can save it, with the plot spelled out and the pace gone. The death knell comes from Waltz, who has to relinquish his lead role to the good - but not great - Jamie Foxx. Foxx is promptly sent into a revenge-by-the-numbers routine we've seen several times from Tarantino.
Which is where I fell asleep. In the end, Django gets bonus points for its clever tackle of a tricky subject, and for a first hour that ranks among the most entertaining I've seen this year. But it's not in the league of Inglourious Basterds, which isn't in the league of Jackie Brown, which isn't in the league of Pulp Fiction.