Series Cuts
We close this series with two films we left out. Take a compelling story premise with a strong cast, then add the Tarantino effect and you end up with Django Unchained. It is the story of a freedman turned bounty hunter on a mission to free his wife. Back it up with a cast that includes Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson and others and you’d think you were on your way to a winner. And maybe for some you are. The film grossed $425 million on a $100 million budget. It raked in Oscars and Golden Globes for Best Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino) and Best Supporting Actor.
The film started out as a tribute to Spaghetti Westerns that became steeped in gratuitous violence and political commentary. Creatively Tarantino threw everything but the kitchen sink at the film from savagery to costuming. Tarantino described Django’s wardrobe look as “rock-n-roll”. Really? Sunglasses in a western? A faux fur coat like one worn by Telly Savalas as Kojak. French art, Rhett Butler, Don Johnson’s Miami Vice suit all had costuming influence.
The film opens with killings. Moves on to murders. Fights to the death. A man gets mauled to death by attack dogs – havin’ fun yet? Pass the popcorn. In the first showdown gun fight Django gets nine shots out of a six-shot revolver – I counted them. Somebody died of every shot. Torture, escape, more killing, dynamite the plantation, happily ever after.
The Lone Ranger starred Johnny Depp as Tonto with Armie Hammer as the Masked Man. I like most anything Johnny Depp does, but did we really need a tongue-in-cheek Tonto with a dead crow on his head? Critics didn’t think so. The film earned negative reviews of performances by both leads along with a screenplay laden with mock caricatures of western film action scenes.
The Lone Ranger is an iconic western character that didn’t deserve this treatment. The public must have agreed. The film bombed at the box office, earning $260.5 million on a budget in the range of $375 – 400 million.
With so many good western stories to choose from, not sure we needed either one of these.
Next Week: Return to the Saturday Matinee Serial
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Ride easy,
Paul
The film started out as a tribute to Spaghetti Westerns that became steeped in gratuitous violence and political commentary. Creatively Tarantino threw everything but the kitchen sink at the film from savagery to costuming. Tarantino described Django’s wardrobe look as “rock-n-roll”. Really? Sunglasses in a western? A faux fur coat like one worn by Telly Savalas as Kojak. French art, Rhett Butler, Don Johnson’s Miami Vice suit all had costuming influence.
The film opens with killings. Moves on to murders. Fights to the death. A man gets mauled to death by attack dogs – havin’ fun yet? Pass the popcorn. In the first showdown gun fight Django gets nine shots out of a six-shot revolver – I counted them. Somebody died of every shot. Torture, escape, more killing, dynamite the plantation, happily ever after.
The Lone Ranger starred Johnny Depp as Tonto with Armie Hammer as the Masked Man. I like most anything Johnny Depp does, but did we really need a tongue-in-cheek Tonto with a dead crow on his head? Critics didn’t think so. The film earned negative reviews of performances by both leads along with a screenplay laden with mock caricatures of western film action scenes.
The Lone Ranger is an iconic western character that didn’t deserve this treatment. The public must have agreed. The film bombed at the box office, earning $260.5 million on a budget in the range of $375 – 400 million.
With so many good western stories to choose from, not sure we needed either one of these.
Next Week: Return to the Saturday Matinee Serial
Return to Facebook to comment
Ride easy,
Paul
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message 1:
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Peg
(new)
Jul 04, 2021 09:56AM
Golly Gee, you described my feelings about both films. Are you sure you aren't my brother?
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Peg wrote: "Golly Gee, you described my feelings about both films. Are you sure you aren't my brother?"Great minds? I think so.
