By now everyone has seen Entertainment Weekly's new stills from Quentin Tarantino's upcoming western, Django Unchained, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Sacha Baron Cohen and, well duh, Samuel L. Jackson.
The story of a freed slave, a German bounty hunter and a slave-holding plantation owner who makes his property fight like gladiators promises to be hip, bloody and full of all the trademark QT touches that we have grown to love since 1992's Reservoir Dogs.
For one, I am excited about seeing Leo as a bastard slave owner after years of him being the hero, and seeing Jamie Foxx not behind a microphone trying to sex my ears down will be a fun change of pace. And now that it seems that Waltz is a member of the QT starting squad, all is right in the world. One possible downside is that, seeing that this is a period piece about slaves, QT will be using that word a whole lot, so expect this to be a point of contention upon its Christmas Day release.
A Killer Soundtrack
What direction could QT go with this? RZA is already on the rumored cast list, but with the western locale, it's hard to tell what could happen. I would have said just throw Jack White at this, but he is doing The Lone Ranger score now.
For the World War II tale Inglourious Basterds, he threw David Bowie in the mix, so what the hell, why not use Kraftwerk this time around? As long as he doesn't go all neo-folk on us and enlist Mumford & Sons, I will be happy.
DiCaprio Using His Howard Hughes Voice
Or at least a creepy Southern variation on his Blood Diamond Afrikaner dialect would work. Come in with the whiskey, come in with the whiskey, come in with the whiskey...
Someone Getting Hung
How about decapitated? This is the Old West, after all, and no doubt QT will take advantage of the brutality of the age, as he did with Basterds.
20th Century Pop-Culture Lingo
If someone can at least reference CHIPs, Sanford and Son or the Backstreet Boys, I will be beyond elated.
Samuel L. Jackson Screaming "Fuck"
Because why not?
Don Johnson Sliding Onto His Horse Detective James Crockett-Style
Ditto for Kurt Russell, who should reprise his Stunt Man Mike act from Death Proof as the trainer of the gladiator slaves. Bravo for QT using yesterday's good guy pin-ups as sadistic assholes.
Wait, Gerald McRaney Is in This??
Yes, that's right, Major Dad and Rick Simon himself, you guys. What wonders does QT have in store for McRaney? If it's anything like his George Hearst character from Deadwood, I am already sold.
Great Beards and Van Dykes, Oh My
As we can already tell from cast pics, there will be some amazing facial hair in Django.
