The Western is among the oldest genres in film history, going back to the silent movie era. Westerns finally came into their own with “Stagecoach, released in 1939. It was not only well-reviewed. It launched the career of John Wayne as a leading man. Wayne went on the make dozens of Westerns, and eventually became America’s most iconic Western hero.

The most successful Western movie of all time, according to Box Office Mojo analysis of the genre, bought in $449,841,566 in global ticket sales. “Django Unchained” was released in 2012. It starred two of the most successful male movie actors in history. Jamie Foxx plays former slave turned bounty hunter Django. Leonardo DiCaprio played plantation and slave owner Calvin Candie. They were supported by Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Schultz, the bounty hunter who trains Django his trade. It was directed by one of America’s most famous directors–Quentin Tarantino.

Rotten Tomatoes describes the plot:

Two years before the Civil War, Django, a slave, finds himself accompanying an unorthodox German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz on a mission to capture the vicious Brittle brothers. Their mission successful, Schultz frees Django, and together they hunt the South’s most-wanted criminals. Their travels take them to the infamous plantation of shady Calvin Candie, where Django’s long-lost wife is still a slave.

“Django Unchained” has been fairly well-reviewed. It received an 87% rating at Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.4/10 from IMDb.

A review that sums up the opinions of many critics is by famous movie writer Roger Ebert:

QT (Quentin Tarantino) is grandiose and pragmatic, he plays freely with implausibility, he gets his customers inside the tent and then gives them a carny show they’re hardly prepared for. He is a consummate filmmaker.

“Django Unchained” also helped launch Christoph Waltz”s career in the U.S. For his role, he won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.

Click here to read The 100 Best Movies Of All Time.

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