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Django Unchained

Django Unchained

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of vengeance.

2012165 minRMidcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Director
Quentin Tarantino
Starring
Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington

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

Where to watch

Where can I watch Django Unchained?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Django Unchained streaming on Howdy via Prime Video, MovieSphere+ via Prime Video and Tubi (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Django Unchained?

Django Unchained earns 18 badges, led by Top 1% of films and Oscar Winner.

Show 10 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content
  • Cast

Reception

Is Django Unchained worth watching?

Django Unchained's Midcredits score is the 99th percentile of all films, from 5.5M ratings across 6 sources. 94% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

99th percentile

Better received than 99% of films

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)98th
Approval (how many liked it)99th

85 /100

98th percentile of all films

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s

Critics 81 · Audience 85

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

94% liked it

99th percentile of all films

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s
94% rated it 7–106% rated it 1–6

Critics 87% · Audience 92%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

2 Oscars won · 3 Oscar noms · 29 wins / 71 noms overall

  • WonAcademy Awards· Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
  • WonAcademy Awards· Best Writing, Original Screenplay

99th percentile

5.4M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 22% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$100M
Opening weekend$30M
Domestic gross$163M
Worldwide gross$426M

Returned 4.3× its budget — 99th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A flashy, violent spaghetti-western revenge fantasy set in the antebellum South.

Fans praised

  • visceral, stylized violence and bloodshed
  • Christoph Waltz's magnetic, charismatic performance
  • blazing soundtrack and score

Detractors panned

  • overindulgent, self-indulgent runtime and pacing
  • cartoonish violence undermines serious subject matter
  • thin, implausible plot mechanics in the third act

What stands out

Acting88

exceptional across the board, especially Waltz, DiCaprio, Jackson

Sound and music88

Morricone-inspired score, eclectic soundtrack

DialogueDivisive85

witty, quotable, but overlong monologues

Originality85

bold fusion of spaghetti western and blaxploitation

Characters78

memorable but some find Django passive, Candie young

Effects and spectacleDivisive78

over-the-top squibs and gore

Plot and storyDivisive68

clever premise but messy, episodic structure

PacingDivisive55

overlong, mid-section drags for many

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 2 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s even
  • Critics vs users even
  • US vs non-US 1 point apart

Watch experience

What is Django Unchained like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense, has a few laughs and leaves you wrung out and released. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseAbsurd
Heaviest: throughout
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
Satirical · 5% of filmsPlayful
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its violent revenge fantasy with Tarantino's signature blend of humour and stylistic excess, never fully straight-faced.
The rideThe film sustains a high-pressure tension from start to finish, punctuated by explosive violence and dark humor, with the emotional weight consistently high.
StructureThe story unfolds chronologically from Django's purchase through the plot to rescue his wife.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Wrung out and released.

Cathartic · 6% of filmsRousing · 10% of films
Why it leaves you this wayA cathartic, rousing revenge saga that satisfies with its explosive finale.
How it ends · evidence
Cyclical ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).QuestRescue
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10% (this title): Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% (this title) · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Quest: A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles. · Rescue: Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).

10% of films fit this archetype

with Rags to riches underneath

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeDjango's mission to free his wife from a brutal plantation owner drives the story, with elements of his rise from slave to bounty hunter.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfMarriageBonds
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% (this title) · Marriage 2% (this title) · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% (this title) · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Marriage · 2% of filmsRomantic love · 15% of filmsRevenge · 4% of films
Satirizes its theme: Attacks its theme through ridicule.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film is driven by Django's relentless devotion to his wife, making romantic love and the quest to reunite central, while also exploring themes of vengeance and justice.
StanceThe film satirizes the institution of slavery through exaggerated cruelty and Tarantino's stylized violence, while also celebrating Django's agency and love.

The world

19th centuryRuralWildernessStylized realism
Orchestral classicalForeground music · hybrid
SettingThe antebellum American South, from Texas to Mississippi, in the 1850s, a world of plantations, bounty hunting, and racial violence.
MusicThe score blends Morricone's iconic Western compositions with anachronistic hip-hop like 'Unchained' by 2Pac, creating a deliberately jarring and powerful effect.

Content guide

Is Django Unchained okay for kids?

R

Django Unchained is rated R: “Rated R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity” (MPAA). As of September 28, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (95/100), sexual content at moderate (57/100), language at severe (93/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (41/100) and frightening material at severe (87/100). Overall it is heavier than 95% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 42 other countries
  • UK18
  • Canada18A
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland18
  • New ZealandR16
  • JapanR15+
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil16
  • Argentina+16
  • Belgium18
  • Czechia15
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • GreeceΚ-15
  • Hong KongIII
  • Hungary18
  • ID21+
  • IndiaA
  • Israel16
  • ItalyT
  • LTN-16
  • LU16
  • MexicoB-15
  • MY18PA
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway18
  • PhilippinesR-16
  • Poland12
  • PortugalM/16
  • RO18
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeM18
  • SK15
  • South Africa16
  • Spain16
  • Sweden15
  • Switzerland16
  • Taiwan18+
  • TH18
  • Türkiye18+
Overall
Severe · all five categories
Heavier than 96% of all filmsHeavier than 95% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 96%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 68%
Profanity
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 96%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 51%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 90%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is violence, language, and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Django Unchained have?

MovieCove's classifier found 6 depicted content warnings in Django Unchained: Animal cruelty (severe), Animal death (severe), Gore or body horror (severe), Gun violence (severe), Hate-motivated violence (severe), plus 1 withheld here because it would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

SevereAnimal crueltyAnimal deathGore or body horrorGun violenceHate-motivated violence

Cast and crew

Who is in Django Unchained?

Cast

3 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor; Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for this film.

Jamie Foxx
as Django
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Christoph Waltz
as Dr. King Schultz
Oscar win: Academy Award — Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting RoleTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Leonardo DiCaprio
as Calvin J. Candie
Globe nominee: Golden Globe nomination — Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion PictureTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Kerry Washington
as Broomhilda von Shaft
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Samuel L. Jackson
as Stephen
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Walton Goggins
as Billy Crash
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Dennis Christopher
as Leonide Moguy
James Remar
as Ace Speck
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
David Steen
as Mr. Stonesipher
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Dana Gourrier
as Cora
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Django Unchained?

Movies like Django Unchained include The Hateful Eight (2015), Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2004) and Inglourious Basterds (2009). Of the 10 closest matches, several are films by Quentin Tarantino, and most are revenge thrillers.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

6 of these 10 share its world: western. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Django Unchained?

563 other films share the rarest tag below, follows: gunslinger. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.