Django Unchained
is a revenge fantasy set in the pre-Civil War American South. It
doesn't have any vampires.
It heroes are Jamie
Foxx and Christoph Waltz, neither of whom slay vampires. Its
villains include Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson,
and Bruce Dern, none of whom are vampires. Its Designated Damsel is
Kerry Washington, who does not kill a slaveholding vampire with a
silver crucifix shot from a Spencer 1860 carbine.
In
short, Django Unchained
is a slavery revenge fantasy that is not Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter. This is too
bad. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
is a great movie, while Django Unchained is
merely good. While AHVH
is fun and creative and downright wicked in its portrayal of the
Slaveholding South as an undead empire and Jefferson Davis as its
knowing stooge, Django
goes the more obvious route of painting its villains simply as venal,
stupid, cruel, or some combination of the three.
The
result? A perfectly serviceable revenge fantasy populated with
world-class actors, aided by Quentin Tarantino's dialogue and unique
eye, and made with every bit of goodwill all hands could muster. I
chuckled. I grooved. I was entertained. But it was no AbrahamLincoln: Vampire Hunter.
