Review of Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) by Jérôme V — 20 May 2009

Weird, this movie is, above all else, weird. It is also masterly crafted in its imagery by favorite Japanese horror director Takashi Miike.

This movie tell a classic asian tale of clan feud, with all the samurai flavor needed, into the subtext of a westernâ?¦ but itâ??s a really strange west: the old town looks like a mix of Spaghetti western town with the aesthetic of asian architecture. The main villain of the piece proficiently battle as much with gun than he does with a katana. While the main character looks all the way like a jap Man with no name (he doesnâ??t have a name by the way).

Is it worth the viewing? If, like me, you have a particular affection for asian action cinema (I owe that to my buddy Jean-Frédéric when he make me see The Heroic Trio back in 1998 or something) and you have the necessarily open mind to view such a iconoclast setting, I would gladly say â??Yesâ??!! Any other person should approach this film with cautionâ?¦.

What make this movie quite fascinating is the Miikeâ??s signature. His use of the lighting to suggest flashbacks or is carefully composed images are all part of the pleasure therein. The preamble, with a cool cameo by number one fan Quentin Tarantino, is a nice touch: surrounded by outlaws that clearly want him dead, Tarantino begins to philosophy on violence and greed while gazing at bloody egg he took directly into the belly of a live snake, thus setting the backbones of the movie. The set design in this preamble is nothing more than artificial to remind the viewer of past westerns of the 1940s (and thus suggesting that what we see is set in the past).

Sukiyaki Western Django may be a fascinating ride, but itâ??s definitely an acquired taste. My suggestion for a double feature movie evening is to watch this movie with Peace Hotel, another western-flavoured and underrated Hong-Kong movie starring Chow Yun Fat (again, I owe this movie to Jean-Frédéric!).