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Master Rank #103

Django Unchained

2012

GCML Total9.1840% Greatness · 40% Engagement · 20% Ease

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

CastJamie Foxx · Christoph Waltz · Leonardo DiCaprio

USAEnglishDrama / Western165 minR
IMDb Top 250Narrative FeatureModerate pace
Find Where to Watch
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Oscar · 2Globe · 2BAFTA · 2

Spoiler-free premise

With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

German bounty hunter King Schultz frees Django from slavery and offers to help locate his wife, Broomhilda, after they pursue several wanted men together. Their search leads toward Candyland, the Mississippi plantation ruled by Calvin Candie.

Why it belongs

Quentin Tarantino frames the revenge western around Black agency, pairing verbal tension and explosive violence with Foxx and Waltz's chemistry.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Tarantino blends spaghetti-western iconography, anachronistic music, extended verbal duels, and sudden violence, while Jamie Foxx's controlled transformation and Christoph Waltz's courtly wit make the partnership more than a mechanism for revenge.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards2 wins2013 · official ceremony record ↗
Writing (Original Screenplay)2013 · Written by Quentin Tarantinoofficial ceremony record ↗Actor in a Supporting Role2013 · Christoph Waltzofficial ceremony record ↗
Golden Globes2 wins2013 · official film record ↗
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture2013 · Quentin Tarantinoofficial film record ↗Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture2013 · Christoph Waltzofficial film record ↗
BAFTA2 wins2013 · official BAFTA 2013 Film Awards results ↗
Original Screenplay2013 · Quentin Tarantinoofficial BAFTA 2013 Film Awards results ↗Supporting Actor2013 · Christoph Waltzofficial BAFTA 2013 Film Awards results ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

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Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

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