What Makes Calvin Candie One Of The Most Terrifying Villains In Film History

For decades, Quentin Tarantino has crafted some of the most ruthless villains in film history. The evil that dwells within these characters can truly be felt by audiences with every line they speak. But it wasn't until Django Unchained that Tarantino created a villain so horrible, that it him uncomfortable. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Calvin Candie in Django Unchained will forever be one of the most reprehensible characters ever put to film. And DiCaprio's performance in Django Unchained truly sells the horrific qualities of Calvin Candie.

#DjangoUnchained #CalvinCandie #Nerdstalgic

Written by Chris Teregis
Edited by David Sadvari

[senditcars]

Never in a million years would I have thought the kid from titanic would end up being one of the greatest actors of our life.

[hissingsid]

Fun fact, they gave Dicaprio an academy award for this performance which for some bizzare reason was delayed until he’d starred in The Revenant.

[filipvadas]

What I found most interesting about Candie is that he isn't Django's villain. That title goes to Stephen.

Calvin Candie, although mainly seen interacting with Django, is Dr.Schultz's villain.

Everything that Schultz is, Calvin is the opposite:
Schultz is well-mannered, travelled and both empathetic and humble despite his profession

Whereas Calvin is crude, maintains a facade of being a well-educated man when in reality he is wholy ignorant and an absolute monster to almost anyone that challenges his ego

Plus, there's the irony of a man named Candie antagonising a dentist lol

[JimC]

This is hands down Leo's best performance. Definitely should have gotten an Oscar for this. He makes the 2nd half of the movie the best half.

[jnwoodard]

What makes his character so scary is his ability to be incredibly charming while intimidating simultaneously. Similar to Hans Landa, he lures in his victims and lulls them through simple conversation and then attacks. It’s amazing.

[ajtaylor]

People might say Jordan Belfort from "The Wolf of Wall Street" is Leo's best performance, but I lean towards this one as the best. Seeing a guy in Leo who usually plays the hero take on a villain role in a slavery revenge tale, and for him to completely steal scenes alongside Sam Jackson, Christoph Waltz, and Jamie Foxx who's the main character speaks volumes to his talents as an actor. For him to actually cut his hand on glass during the dinner scene and CONTINUE ACTING while bleeding profusely is a different kind of dedication.

[matjakobs]

Best performance ever. It feels 100% real. No Oscar for that is a joke.

[jubayarahmed]

This movie has no dull moments, it could've been 5 hours long and still captivating.

[Jordan-iwih]

A year or two ago, someone pointed out to me that one of the protagonists (Schultz) was a dentist and quite appropriately, the villain was named Candy.

I had seen this movie like 5 times and never connected those dots. It blew my mind lol.

[benwasserman]

The fact that Calvin Candy treats slavery like a game is what makes him truly despicable. Even Schultz couldn’t stand him for long, let along his perverse admiration for European culture.

[ericthetuber]

I think something that wasn't commented on was the idea that Candy has a fragile ego. He uses his rage and power to intimate the people around him into silence about his deficiencies. Calvin loves French and the air of exotic superiority he feels when indulging it, but can't speak it. Yet he doesn't welcome speaking opportunities in the language because they would expose a deficiency. Similarly, upon finding out he's being tricked, he uses rage to regain power over the his guests. Anyone who's got a parent like this, for me its my dad, knows what I'm talking about.

[alice]

Samuel L. Jackson’s interpretation of “Stephen” was very unexpected to see.

He’s an amazing actor, and the way he played the “house slave” was like being transported into a different reality.

All I knew is that he was going to be in the movie, but when I watched I just could not believe my eyes!

[jbshaver]

DiCaprio is one of the best actors in the world. It's wild he's been straight up snubbed for so many years awards wise

[Hey-Its-Dingo]

I think the fact that DeCaprio would often cry inbetween takes, and had a few emotional breakdowns on set, while playing THIS character is proof that you do NOT have to be a raging cumstain to your costars behind the cameras to play amazing villains. (Looking at you, Jared Leto)

[clarissawestbrook]

Everyone was phenomenal in this film. Jamie Foxx, Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington, Don Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Quentin Tarantino direction is impeccable. This movie is definitely one of the best films of the 2010s.

[sarasilva]

Part of what's so impactful in this performance is not only who Dicaprio is portraying but also the fact that his face has a gentle, innocent look. So the dichotomy between his looks and his actions is what makes it even more shocking

[joec]

Django is genuinely one of my favourite all time films. DiCaprio and Jackson as the villain duo are phenomenal. Genuinely terrifying and unpredictable

[fallendevonish]

Stephen is the real evil the very first shot we see of him, he's filling in a check in Candie's name and with perfect penmanship. No ordinary slave would have such power or access, and write so well. He's the one running the plantation and controlling Candie, but he plays an old fool/clown to keep up appearances then at the end he drops it and walks normally like he didnt need to pretend no more. I loved that detail so much. He was a calculated despicable character.. Candie treats him like an amusing pet around others but in private they're equals. I don't believe he truly cared for Candie, he needed him to survive. He said to Django when he was hanging upside down, "White folks ain't ever had an original thought in their head" and implies he steered the conversation so Miss Lowell believed it was her own idea. Something tells me he's done that a lot with Candie as well.

[omz]

I knew that scene was real the 1st time I saw it in the theater! I even leaned over to my buddy and said “dude, that looks way too real!” The light trembling both in his voice and his hand was too real! And the way he still delivered the performance while picking the glass out of his hand is movie GOLD!

[gaylewinds]

I firmly believe that the only reason Di Caprio didn't win an Oscar for this amazing performance is because they felt that they couldn't reward such an abhorrent character. But he deserved that win for the glass alone.