Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012) transforms the spaghetti western into a bold revenge narrative set against American slavery’s brutal reality. The film follows Django (Jamie Foxx), a freed slave partnered with German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) on a mission to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from sadistic plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Through its unflinching yet stylized portrayal, the film delivers both cathartic fantasy and uncomfortable historical reckoning.
Grossing USD 426 million worldwide and earning five Academy Award nominations (with Waltz winning Best Supporting Actor), Django Unchained reimagines the American South through Tarantino’s signature blend of violence, dark humor, and cultural pastiche. The film subverts traditional western tropes by centering a Black protagonist’s pursuit of justice within a system designed to deny his humanity—creating a provocative meditation on freedom that resonates far beyond its 1858 setting while honoring the spirit of Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 Italian western namesake.
Freedom and First Partnership
Django Unchained is set in 1858, two years before the American Civil War. In Texas, the Speck brothers, Ace (James Remar) and Dicky (James Russo), are transporting a group of slaves through the scorching heat and bitter cold of the Texas wilderness. Among these slaves is a man named Django. During their journey, on a night stop, they’re approached by a German dentist named Dr. King Schultz. Schultz wants to buy one of the Speck brothers’ slaves who had previously worked at the Carrucan plantation. Django, recognizing this opportunity, claims he worked there.
Schultz approaches Django and asks if he knows the Brittle brothers. Django confirms that he knows them – three men who were formerly overseers at the Carrucan plantation. At this point, the Speck brothers become angry with Schultz and refuse to sell their slave to him, threatening him with their weapons. Schultz, determined to purchase Django, responds by shooting Dicky and then killing Ace. Schultz ultimately buys Django for USD 125 and informs the other slaves that they can do whatever they want to Ace, who is still barely alive. The slaves grab weapons and kill him.
The next day, Django and Schultz ride to Daughtrey, Texas. Django’s status as a free man riding a horse bewilders the townspeople, arousing suspicion because they had never seen a Black man on horseback before. In their eyes, Black people were synonymous with slavery and considered unworthy of riding horses. This prejudice, however, doesn’t apply to Django under Schultz’s protection. The two enter a bar, but the owner dislikes having Django in his establishment. Consequently, the bar owner reports them to the sheriff.
In the bar, Schultz reveals to Django that he’s a bounty hunter and needs Django’s help to identify the Brittle brothers, as Schultz doesn’t know what they look like. This is why Schultz freed Django – to assist him in finding the Brittle brothers. Schultz makes a deal with Django: if they successfully kill the three Brittle brothers, Django will be granted his freedom and paid USD 25 per person, totaling USD 75 if they eliminate all three.
The sheriff arrives and orders Schultz and Django to leave town, but Schultz responds by shooting the sheriff dead. Witnesses to this act scatter and report it to the local police. When the police arrive with their forces, Schultz produces a warrant explaining that the sheriff he shot was a wanted fugitive for cattle rustling from a ranching company. The warrant offers a reward of USD 200, dead or alive, signed by a judge. Upon learning this, the police decide not to arrest Schultz and Django; instead, the town ends up owing money to Schultz.
Revenge Against Slave Owners
After leaving town, they rest briefly on the outskirts. During their break, Schultz inquires about Django’s plans once the mission to kill the Brittle brothers is complete. Django reveals that he intends to search for his wife, Broomhilda. He explains that he and his wife once worked at Carrucan’s plantation, but they attempted to escape and were caught. As punishment, they were sold at a slave market in Grand and branded on their cheeks with the letter “R” by Carrucan. This is where Django was separated from his wife.
Upon hearing the name Broomhilda, Schultz, being German, becomes curious as it’s a German name. Django explains that Broomhilda was raised by a German mistress who taught her the German language, so Broomhilda can speak a little German. They then traveled to Tennessee, where Schultz informed Django that he needed to pose as Schultz’s servant during their bounty hunting missions. They discovered the Brittle brothers at a plantation in Gatlinburg owned by John Bennett (Don Johnson), also known as “Big Daddy.”
Upon arrival, they met with Big Daddy. Schultz’s plan was to pretend he wanted to buy one of Big Daddy’s slaves, while Django was tasked with locating the Brittle brothers. In short, Django successfully found the Brittle brothers after a female slave there revealed their whereabouts. When Django spotted one of the Brittle brothers, he was flooded with memories from his past. Back when Django worked at Carrucan’s plantation, these Brittle brothers were the ones who tortured his wife after they were caught trying to escape.
Seizing the opportunity for revenge, Django didn’t hesitate to shoot two of them dead, while Schultz killed the third. Hearing the commotion, Big Daddy and several of his men approached Schultz and Django with weapons drawn. Schultz explained to Big Daddy that he was a bounty hunter commissioned by the local judicial system to bring the Brittle brothers to justice, dead or alive. To convince Big Daddy, Schultz presented his warrant from the local court. Afterward, they were permitted to finish their task and take the Brittle brothers’ bodies to the authorities.
That night, the racist Big Daddy, unable to accept that his men had been killed by a Black man, plotted to kill Django. Big Daddy and his men attacked Schultz’s wagon, but they had been deceived—Schultz and Django had anticipated this and set a trap. Schultz’s wagon, filled with explosives, was detonated, injuring several of Big Daddy’s men and sending them scattering. When the opportunity presented itself, Django shot Big Daddy dead.
Impressed by Django’s actions in killing Big Daddy, Schultz offered him a partnership as a bounty hunter throughout the winter. As compensation, one-third of the earnings would go to Django, and after winter ended, Schultz would also help Django search for his wife Broomhilda. Schultz was so attentive to Django because he felt responsible for him, as this was his first time freeing a slave. Django agreed to the arrangement.
Partners Seeking Broomhilda
They continued their journey hunting bounties. Django’s first mission was to kill a gang leader named Smitty Bacall, who had a bounty of USD 7,000. Schultz gave Django the wanted poster for Smitty Bacall as a keepsake and for good luck. Throughout the winter, Django practiced shooting and hunted bounties alongside Schultz. They brought their targets to the authorities.
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When spring arrived, they traveled to Mississippi, to a slave auction. There, they searched for Broomhilda’s name in the purchase records. After searching, they discovered that when Broomhilda was sold, she had been bought by Calvin Candie, a wealthy businessman who owned the largest cotton plantation in Mississippi, called “Candyland”. Initially, they considered directly buying Broomhilda from Calvin, but after consideration, they realized someone like Calvin wouldn’t be interested in selling a slave for such a small profit.
So they devised a plan to visit Calvin’s place, where he was known to be a fan of bloody wrestling matches called “Mandingo fighting.” Schultz and Django disguised themselves as suppliers of Mandingo fighters and expressed interest in buying a formidable fighter from Calvin at a high price to entice him. Their real mission, however, was to acquire Broomhilda by purchasing her while Calvin made a substantial profit. Schultz offered Calvin USD 12,000 for his fighter. Calvin was very interested in the offer and invited Schultz and Django to his home to finalize the purchase.
During their journey to Calvin’s house, they came across one of Calvin’s slaves—a fighter who could no longer compete. The slave was being pursued by several dogs. Realizing his fighter was no longer useful, Calvin ordered his men to release the dogs to tear the fighter apart until he died. Schultz, witnessing this, was horrified at seeing someone mauled to death by dogs.
When they arrived at Calvin’s house, they were greeted by Calvin’s trusted African servant named Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) and Calvin’s sister, Lara Lee (Laura Cayouette). Stephen, upon seeing Django, became suspicious because Django was riding a horse alongside Schultz. However, Calvin informed him that both men were his guests and should be treated well. Later, Schultz inquired about Calvin’s German-speaking slave, Broomhilda, as he had mentioned her during their journey to Calvin’s estate.
Deception at Candyland
Stephen informed Calvin that Broomhilda was being punished for attempting to escape and was currently locked inside a box. Upon learning this, Calvin ordered Broomhilda to be released and bathed so she could serve Schultz, who wanted to meet her. As Broomhilda was freed from her punishment, Django’s heart raced seeing his wife in such a state.
Afterward, Lara and her assistant took Broomhilda to Schultz’s room. Schultz and Broomhilda met in the room and conversed in German to ensure no one could eavesdrop. Schultz wanted to inform her that a friend wanted to meet her—that friend being Django. Upon seeing Django, Broomhilda was overcome with such powerful emotion that she fainted, having never expected to be reunited with her husband after their brutal separation.
During dinner, Stephen noticed Broomhilda continuously glancing at Django. Stephen interrogated her, trying to get her to admit she knew Django, but Broomhilda lied to protect Django and Schultz’s cover. At the dinner table, Schultz and Calvin discussed their business regarding the purchase of a fighter for USD 12,000. Schultz agreed to buy him but with the condition that Calvin had to wait five days for Schultz to prepare the money and bring his lawyer to make the agreement official, to which Calvin agreed.
This was all part of their strategy. Instead of just buying the fighter, Schultz also offered to purchase Broomhilda from Calvin immediately if he was willing to sell her. Calvin intended to sell Broomhilda, seeing the profit in selling both his slave and his fighter. However, before the purchase, Stephen interrupted their conversation and showed Broomhilda’s back to Schultz and Django. Stephen did this to observe Django’s reaction. Afterward, Stephen became convinced that Django and Broomhilda knew each other, possibly even being husband and wife because of the identical marks on their cheeks.
Stephen immediately requested a private meeting with Calvin in his study, where he informed his master that Broomhilda and Django knew each other and were likely married due to the matching marks on their cheeks. Stephen revealed Schultz’s true plan—to buy Broomhilda, not the fighter. After purchasing Broomhilda, they would disappear, and they had already secured the official sale documents for her without having to pay the agreed USD 12,000. According to the original agreement, Calvin had to wait five more days for Schultz to prepare his money and for his lawyer to handle the purchase. Schultz would bring USD 12,000 in five days, but to buy Broomhilda, Schultz was ready to pay on the spot since she wasn’t as expensive.
Upon discovering Schultz’s plan, Calvin grew furious and threatened to kill Hilda with a hammer unless Schultz agreed to buy her for USD 12,000. Seeing that the situation was impossible and his plan had been exposed, Schultz had no choice but to agree to buy Hilda for that price. Once the money was handed over, Hilda was released. Calvin’s lawyer immediately drafted a bill of sale for Hilda, which Calvin signed. Afterward, Calvin asked Schultz to sign the document as well.
Escape and Final Revenge
With everything settled, Schultz, Django, and Hilda quickly prepared to leave Calvin’s house. However, Calvin refused to let them go before Schultz shook his hand, explaining that according to tradition, they needed to shake hands after completing a transaction. When Schultz refused, Calvin ordered his men to shoot Hilda. Fed up with Calvin’s arrogance, Schultz shot Calvin dead, triggering a shootout that killed Schultz. Django didn’t stand idle—he fought back and successfully created chaos in Calvin’s house. A fierce gunfight broke out between Django and Calvin’s men. As more of Calvin’s men arrived, Stephen took Hilda hostage and forced Django to surrender.
The next day, Django was hung upside down, stripped naked, and about to be castrated as punishment. However, just as Calvin’s men were about to castrate him, Stephen stopped them. He explained that Calvin’s sister Lara, who had taken over the plantation, had ordered them to sell Django to a mining company where he would work until death, never being allowed to rest. During the journey to the mines with other slaves, Django devised an escape plan. He used the bounty hunter warrant papers—a memento from Schultz—to convince the guards he was a bounty hunter.
Django told them there was a huge reward waiting at Candyland, Calvin’s plantation, if they managed to kill Smitty Bacall. He claimed there would be a substantial official reward, though in reality, Smitty Bacall was already dead—this was just Django’s trick to escape. The guards believed Django’s story after questioning the other slaves, who confirmed Django was a bounty hunter (though Django had altered the story to facilitate his escape).
Django told the guards that he and his partner Schultz had tracked Smitty Bacall from Texas and discovered he was hiding at Candyland. However, when they arrived at Candyland, they were caught, resulting in a shootout that killed both Schultz and Calvin, but Smitty Bacall had survived. Hearing this statement and tempted by the large reward, the guards believed him. Django asked them to release him so they could work together to kill Smitty Bacall. After being freed and given a gun, Django quickly killed the guards, took weapons and some dynamite, then returned to Candyland.
Back at Candyland, Django killed Calvin’s henchman who had released dogs on a fighter earlier. Then he retrieved Hilda’s bill of sale from Schultz’s body, said goodbye to Schultz and vowed to avenge him, and freed Hilda. Later that night, after Calvin’s funeral ceremony, Django—who had secretly entered the house—killed several of Calvin’s men, his sister Lara, and freed two slaves who were with them. Django left only Stephen alive, but wounded him in the legs before lighting dynamite. Django then blew up Calvin’s house and left with Hilda, riding away from Candyland.
