This Friday night, Channel 4 is bringing one of Quentin Tarantino’s biggest and boldest films back to the small screen.
Django Unchained will be on air, viewers a chance to revisit a movie that has been hailed as both a modern classic and, in the words of one fan, “a terrific love letter to Spaghetti Westerns.”
For those unfamiliar, the film follows Jamie Foxx as Django, a freed slave on a quest to rescue his wife from the brutal plantation owner Calvin Candie, played with sinister charm by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Along the way, Django teams up with Christoph Waltz’s Dr King Schultz, a bounty hunter whose unusual methods provide both comic relief and sharp storytelling.
It’s a set-up that Tarantino uses to lean heavily into Western tropes while reworking them with his signature flair. As one glowing review on Rotten Tomatoes puts it: “This movie is a terrific love letter to Spaghetti Westerns. It reminds people exactly what made those films so special by incorporating some classic stylings mixed with modern sound editing and pacing.”
“The opening credits, the songs sung about the main characters, the over-the-top squibs and even Django himself are all pitch perfect homages to the specific genre.”
The cast list alone is enough to grab attention. Alongside Foxx, Waltz and DiCaprio are Kerry Washington as Django’s wife Broomhilda, Samuel L Jackson as Candie’s calculating right-hand man Stephen, and even a memorable cameo from Jonah Hill.
As one viewer summed up: “What can I say – absolutely masterpiece. Tarantino at his best, gave as simple scenario and the bunch of best actors. What an AMAZING cast including Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L Jackson, Jonah Hill, and many others! This film is original. It’s over-the-top satisfying. And it’s well worth the watch.”
Tarantino uses the genre to shine a light on one of the darkest periods of American history. The film doesn’t shy away from brutality, but its mix of sharp dialogue, striking cinematography and carefully chosen soundtrack creates something unique.
As another review explains: “I was apprehensive about getting into a ‘political’ long movie, but I can see now why this is a critically acclaimed classic. From the discography to the casting, this movie was superb hands down. The world building is very interesting and it really opened my eyes up to how awful history was in an eye-opening and inspiringly enjoyable story.”
When it was first released in 2012, the film quickly drew praise from critics and audiences alike, with Tarantino even picking up an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and Christoph Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor.
Django Unchained will be on Channel 4’s Film4 this Friday, September 5, at 9 pm.