Intended to capitalize on and rival the success of Sergio Leone 's A Fistful of Dollars , Corbucci's film is, like Leone's, considered to be a loose, unofficial adaptation of Akira Kurosawa 's Yojimbo.
The film earned a reputation as one of the most violent films ever made at the time, and was subsequently refused a certificate in the United Kingdom until , when it was issued an 18 certificate the film was downgraded to a 15 certificate in A commercial success upon release, Django has garnered a large cult following outside of Italy and is widely regarded as one of the best films of the Spaghetti Western genre , with the direction, Nero's performance, and Luis Bacalov 's soundtrack most frequently being praised.
Although the name is referenced in over 30 "sequels" from the time of the film's release until the early s in an effort to capitalize on the success of the original, most of these films were unofficial, featuring neither Corbucci nor Nero. Nero reprised his role as Django in 's Django Strikes Again , the only official sequel produced with Corbucci's involvement.
Nero also made a cameo appearance in Quentin Tarantino 's film Django Unchained , an homage to Corbucci's original. Retrospective critics and scholars of Corbucci's Westerns have also deemed Django to be the first in the director's "Mud and Blood" trilogy, which also includes The Great Silence and The Specialists. The pair arrive in a town, populated by Nathaniel, a bartender, and five prostitutes.
Jackson and his henchmen arrive at the saloon to extort Nathaniel. Django confronts two henchmen when they harass a prostitute, and ridicules Jackson and his beliefs. Django shoots the men, and challenges Jackson to return with his accomplices. Jackson returns with his gang. Using the machine gun contained in his coffin, Django guns down most of them, allowing Jackson and a handful of men to escape.
