Review of Django (1966)

SPOILER ALERT: PLOT POINTS REVEALED

Hello all! Today I'll be doing two reviews, and first up is "Django"! Not the 2012 remake, oh no...I'm reviewing the original, the one that started it all, starring Franco Nero!

"Django" is an Italian western film about an outlaw named Django who seeks revenge on Major Jackson, the man who murdered his wife. He makes a deal with a Mexican general, who is also in conflict with Jackson, and the two work together to get their revenge. It's an all-out revenge and betrayal story that you would expect from a classic western.

Pros:

1. Django is an awesome character. He's not a hero, not a bad guy, just a drifter. All he wants is revenge for something that's happened to him, and he doesn't have any honorable intentions at all. He's one of the great curiosities of western film. Not to mention is crazy awesome weapon of choice: a giant machine gun inside of a badass looking coffin that he drags around behind him where ever he goes.

You can't deny the badassery that's in this picture.

2. This movie is famous for being ultra-violent. I don't want to give anything away, but trust me; it does not disappoint in the way of gore and violence.

3. The ending was super dramatic and totally badass. Django manages to shoot up about 700 guys - including Major Jackson - in a cemetery with both of his hands completely smashed and broken by biting off the trigger-guard on his pistol, leaning the trigger on the headstone of a girl that Jackson killed, and then slamming down the hammer with his broken hand. It was totally epic.

Cons:

1. The movie just didn't work for me. Besides the pros I mentioned, there wasn't really anything worth mentioning in the film. It was very flat, very cheesy and very boring. There wasn't enough in the film to keep me completely entertained, but it wasn't a terrible movie. It was just...blah. I was disappointed to learn that the movie that was so famous in Italy for being a great, ultra-violent, totally different kind of western was actually pretty much the opposite.

In conclusion, the fact that the over 50 versions of "Django" started with this one was pretty disappointing. Call me new school, but I think I'll stick with Tarantino's version. 2 stars for you, "Django"! Thanks for reading!