Review of Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) by Fred M — 05 Sep 2012

With Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Django Unchained getting close, few people will realise that the Django character has appeared in almost 40 films since the early 60s. He's a random character and each film is unrelated to the other, however the name has become synonymous with the Spaghetti Western.

Tarantino started the ball rolling on his film around the same time he appeared in Takashi Miike's ambitious Sukiyaki Western Django. Known to audiences for his hardcore brand of horror (Audition, Ichi The Killer etc) Miike's Django is his first American film, maintaining some of his signature violence.

While violently mild compared with his other work, the film is brutal at times. Its a strange and bemusing film. With a predominantly Japanese cast, the entire film is spoken in English yet set amongst a Japanese community in the middle of "Navata", presumedly in America.

Two rival gangs face off in a bloody feud when an unknown gunman rolls into town and gets caught in the middle. It's a confusing and convoluted story that's difficult to follow at times. The Japanese performers also struggle with the English dialogue but thankfully the aesthetic and style of the film are strong and captivating.

Great camera work, awesome set ups and stylish fight sequences makes Sukiyaki Western Django a worthy film for genre buffs. Influenced by Spaghetti Westerns, this is what I would call a Sushi Western.

Takashi Miike steps away from his comfort zone and chose an audacious and unconventional film as his first foray into the American market.