I am not particularly excited about Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” but I haven’t been particularly excited about one of his films in a while. Sorry if that’s sacrilege for you but I’ve been happy enough being pleasantly surprised by this or that and just don’t have it in me to get all goose-bumpy over the prospect of a new QT joint.

That said, my fingers are crossed for this one because, as you all know, I have an affinity for the genre in which Tarantino is working here and I very much want this to succeed so we can have more explorations of it. I’m really intrigued that Leonardo DiCaprio took on the project, and of course I’ll be very interested to see what Christoph Waltz has for us after a few dubious post-“Inglorious Basterds” tries. Jamie Foxx, well, I’m not as taken by that and wish Will Smith had seen the light and taken the role, since it’s what his career sorely needs at this juncture.

Christmas promises to be a very Leo holiday with this and Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” landing in theaters. Will both be awards bait? We’ll know in due time, but for now, The Weinstein Company has released the official synopsis for Tarantino’s film. So if you didn’t get your hands on the highly circulated screenplay that made the rounds last year, here’s your chance to know what to expect, if you so desire:

Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award®-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz).

Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty.  The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles – dead or alive.Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways.  Instead, Schultz seeks out the South’s most wanted criminals with Django by his side.  Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.

Django andSchultz’s search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie (Academy Award®-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio), the proprietor of “Candyland,” an infamous plantation where slaves are groomed by trainer Ace Woody (Kurt Russell) to battle each other for sport.  Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen (Academy Award®-nominee Samuel L. Jackson), Candie’s trusted house slave.  Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them.  If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival…

Written and directed by Academy Award®-winner Quentin Tarantino, DJANGO UNCHAINED is produced by Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone.  The executive producers are Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Michael Shamberg, Shannon McIntosh, and James Skotchdopole.  DJANGO UNCHAINED will be released in the U.S. on December 25, 2012, and internationally by Sony Pictures.

For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.

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