Well Django Unchained has been in theaters for close to a month now and of the 8 major films written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, this is the most successful yet.The controversial film starring Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz is popular; but then again I cant really say that Tarantino has ever disappointed his audience since his explosion into the film world with his 1992 film Reservoir Dogs.Deep down every film student wants to be Quentin, the guy did after all drop out of high school and become a filmmaker based on nothing but his own talent, strong will and a love for movies.So when he comes out with a new film it really feels like a cinematic event whether you approve of his work or not.Like all of his past films, Django is inspired by a piece of pop culture that Tarantino dug up and re-energized for his own purposes. The character name of Django comes from a long running series of Westerns that originally starred Franco Nero in 1966.The series is said to have over one hundred un-official sequels. Franco Nero makes a cameo in Unchained as Amerigo Vessepi, who is the character that Jamie Foxx spells out Django to at a bar.As is typical in films like Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino brings together a powerfully talented cast to carry out his inspired original script.Christoph Waltz joins the cast again after his Oscar winning performance as a Nazi officer in Inglorious Basterds. To contrast with his last role of a German Nazi, this time around he is written to be a good, righteous and charismatic personality.Waltzs Dr. King Schultz is the bounty hunter who frees the slave Django, puts a gun in his hand and takes him on the journey to free his wife from Leonardo DiCaprios horribly villainous character of plantation owner Calvin Candie.Waltz gave my favorite performance in the film, being hilarious, agreeable and likeable as a character. DiCaprio does a solid job as well, playing the first villain of his career, which was written to be beyond sinister.The tobacco stained teeth he wears in the film will haunt my dreams and really intensifies how insidious Calvin Candie is underneath his polite demeanor.Jamie Foxx pulls off what few other actors could in a very complex role as the title character, which was originally written for Will Smith. And lets not forget Samuel L Jackson. whose more recent roles have been somewhat clich. In Django, however, he does some very serious acting that shows his real talent and versatility. Django has a fairly linear storyline driven by revenge, and a lot of comparisons can be drawn between it and Kill Bill. There are even a lot of visual similarities between the films.Both have epically unreal battle-scenes where blood resembles thick red Jell-O and explodes like fireworks.The film has an interesting soundtrack, using many hits from the 70s that Tarantino picks himself and often features in his movies.Some viewers complain that the film is too long, but if youre paying to see it in theaters then you might as well get your moneys worth.Spike Lee has made many public statements to the media about his problems with the portrayal of slavery and use of the n-word in the film.This same kind of head butting between the directors has occurred before over Tarantinos use of the n-word in Pulp Fiction and the blaxploitation influenced Jackie Brown.I consider both filmmakers to be two of the best contemporary artists alive today and I wish they didnt have to come to such odds. But that might just be the clash of two opposite genius minds.Although I can see where Spike Lee is coming from and agree with most of his argument, I also think in a lot of ways Django succeeds in forcing America to face its brutal past which is most often repressed.In giving advice on whether to see the film or not, Ill say the same thing I would about other stylish and unique directors such as Martin Scorsese or Wes Anderson: If you dont like the directors other work then you probably wont like this one.If you havent seen Django Unchained yet and it seems like the film for you, then see it on the big-screen while you can.