Django Unchained is a 2012 American western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was released on December 25, 2012 in North America.
Set in the antebellum era of the Deep South, the film follows Django (Foxx), a freed slave who treks across America with bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) on a mission to rescue his wife (Washington) from Calvin Candie (DiCaprio), a cruel and charismatic plantation owner.
Directed by : Quentin Tarantino
Produced by : Reginald Hudlin, Stacy Sher, Pilar Savone
Written by : Quentin Tarantino
Starring : Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson
Cinematography : Robert Richardson
Editing by : Fred Raskin
Distributed by : The Weinstein Company (United States), Columbia Pictures (Worldwide)
Release date: 25 December 2012 (United States)
Plot :
In 1858, Django (Jamie Foxx) and his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) are sold at a slave auction. While Broomhilda is sold to an unknown buyer, Django is bought by the Speck brothers (James Remar and James Russo). When Django and a number of slaves are being transported across the country, the Brothers are confronted by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German bounty hunter who uses his former profession as a dentist as a cover. Schultz frees Django and kills one of the Speck brothers, leaving the other trapped. He reveals that he sought out Django because Django can identify the Brittle brothers, a band of ruthless killers with a price on their heads. Although Schultz confesses that his bounty hunting profession is opportunistic, he also emphasizes to Django that he "despises slavery". Schultz and Django come to an agreement: in exchange for helping locate the Brittle brothers, Schultz will free Django from slavery and help him rescue Broomhilda from Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a plantation owner who is as charming as he is brutal. On his plantation, Candyland, male slaves are trained to fight to the death for sport, while female slaves are forced into prostitution. Django agrees, and the two go after Candie and the Brittle gang.
After hunting down and killing the Brittle brothers, Schultz takes on Django as his associate in bounty hunting. Django is initially uneasy about his newfound role, but soon proves himself to be talented. After collecting a number of bounties, Schultz and Django confirm that Calvin Candie is Broomhilda's current owner. After scoring an invitation to Candyland, they devise a plan where the two of them pose as potential purchasers of one of Candie's slave fighters to reach Broomhilda. Upon their arrival, Schultz introduces Django as his equal, which causes hostility at Candyland, where racism is extreme. They are shocked to witness a slave executed by having attack dogs tear him apart, but quickly come to an agreement to purchase a fighting slave. Schultz improvises on their plan and also purchases Broomhilda, claiming that as a fortuitous coincidence he noticed that Broomhilda speaks German and felt that she would help alleviate his nostalgia for his mother tongue.
The plan goes awry when Candie's head slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), who is as racist as his white entourage, realizes that Schultz and Django are more interested in Broomhilda than purchasing a fighter. Correctly deducing that Django and Broomhilda are husband and wife, Stephen informs Candie, who, armed with this information, demands $12,000 for Broomhilda or else he will kill her in front of Django. Left with no other choice, they agree, but Candie's humiliating behavior enrages Schultz, who kills him after the paperwork finalizing the sale is completed. Schultz is shot as Django tries to escape Candyland, slaughtering most of the household before being subdued. As punishment, Stephen arranges for Django to be sent to a coal mine and worked to death. En route to the mine, Django convinces the slave drivers that he is a bounty hunter, showing them the handbill from his first kill as proof of his claims. Once freed, he kills the slave drivers and rides back to Candyland.
Once inside the mansion at Candyland, Django continues his slaughter of the household, planting dynamite as he goes. He leaves Stephen alive inside the mansion and takes the certificate of freedom that Candie signed for Broomhilda as part of the purchase agreement before his death. The dynamite explodes, killing Stephen and completely obliterating the Candie mansion. Finally free, Django and Broomhilda ride away.