16. Dr. King Schultz- Django Unchained
One of Tarantinos more likeable and respectable characters, Schultz is played by the fantastic Christoph Waltz, who earned an Oscar for both this and another Tarantino creation, but I'll say more on that particular character later. Schultz comes from a respectable background and at one point in his life was legitimately a dentist; it wasnt always a front to his bounty hunting. The people that Schultz hunts down are detestable people that work within the slave trading industry, such as the Brittle Brothers and Speck Brothers. With ease, Schultz quickly disposes of the Speck brothers at the beginning of the film, and is even decent enough to leave one of the Speck brothers alive, so the slaves they have been dragging across the South of America can have their own retribution. Schultz then takes Django under his wing, treats him like an equal and teaches him all he knows about the bounty hunting business. With the help of Schultz Django gets his revenge on his captures, the Brittle Brothers, and then Schultz puts his own life in danger to help Django find and rescue his wife, Broomhilda. Though the film is set in 1858, Schultz is a very modern, forward thinking character, more aligned than any other character in the film to a 2013 audience. This is because he is the only white male character in the film who despises slavery and the men who own slaves, such as Calvin Candie. Schultzs dislike and discomfort around slavery can be subtlety seen throughout the film, especially when watching the brutal Mandingo fight, and every time he is forced into contact with Candie. Schultzs hatred of Candie and everything he stands for comes to an explosive (literally) climax when Schultz, foolishly, yet understandably, shoots and kills Candie. Though Schultz can be seen as being a little selfish because of this rash act, as not only does this result in his own death, but it causes a bloody battle that Django almost looses his life and wife in, it doesn't change the fact that Schultz goes out a hero and a legend, as without Schultz, Candie wouldnt have met his well-deserved end, and who couldve walked out of the cinema happy, knowing that Candie had not met his demise?