Spike Lee: Tarantino's "Django Unchained" Is "Disrespectful to My Ancestors"

Spike Lee, celebrated African-American director, will not be one of the millions lining up this week to see Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained." He'll be boycotting it, in fact, according to statements he made to Vibe magazine and on Twitter.

"Django" is a spaghetti western about a bounty hunter and his ex-slave apprentice, Django. The bounty hunter, German-born Dr. Schultz, strikes a deal: if Django helps him take down his targets, including a ruthless gang of killers, the Brittle Brothers, whom only Django has seen, he'll grant Django his freedom and help rescue his wife, who was bought by the owner of a notoriously brutal plantation called "Candyland."

"I'm not gonna see it," Lee told Vibe. "I'm not seeing it. All I'm gonna say is, it'd be disrespectful to my ancestors to see that film. That's all I'm gonna say. I can't disrespect my ancestors." He later added on Twitter, "American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them."

This isn't the first major criticism Tarantino has received from Lee, who blasted Tarantino's 1997 "Jackie Brown" for its excessive use of racial epithets like "negro." Lee is celebrated for bringing a critical and nuanced perspective on race-relations to the big screen with films like "Do The Right Thing" (1989) and "Malcolm X" (1992).

In Tarantino's trademark style, the violence in "Django" is graphic, relentless and sensationalist. The critics have embraced the movie not only for its engaging dialogue and gritty humor but also for the rebellious, underdog revenge fantasy and historical revisionism reminiscent of the alternative ending to World War II in Tarantino's last film, "Inglourious Basterds."

"Django" has scored five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It stars Jamie Foxx as the titular hero, Christopher Waltz as the brazen bounty hunter, Leonardo DiCaprio as the villainous plantation owner, Samuel L. Jackson as his submissive house slave, and Kerry Washington as Django's wife.