KnockBack, Episode 123: Django Unchained (Patreon)

Writer and director Quentin Tarantino has long been a divisive and controversial filmmaker, primarily because of his seeming, unapologetic glorification of gore. But something deeper typically rests beneath his portrayal of human brutality. This is perhaps most true in his 2012 picture Django Unchained, a movie that takes place in the Southern United States on the brink of the Civil War. And while it's not a piece of history per se, it dedicates a lot of time delving into much of what made that Confederacy Eve era tick: Slavery, greed, and inhumanity. With multiple Oscar-worthy performances -- including from Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Waltz -- a riveting story, and a redemptive arc, it could easily be argued that Django Unchained is Tarantino's strongest work. Whether you agree with that proclamation or not, however, there's no denying that it's given us a lot to talk about.