Review of Sukiyaki Western Django (2007) by Kevin C — 02 Nov 2008

To be honest, I really owe this another viewing. My friend got an advance-release DVD from the studio and brought it over for seven or eight of us to watch, but after we learned that the dialogue is in heavily-accented Engrish, we tuned most of the movie out and talked. To not subtitle the movie or have the actors speak in their native tongue is an incredibly dubious directorial choice. It probably worked better in Japan, accompanied by Japanese subtitles, a context that might make Japanese actors speaking English badass. Unfortunately, it makes following the plot sort of tedious for a viewer here in the states. As blasphemous as this may sound, Sukiyaki Western Django really deserves a dub track.

I don't mean to get all xenophobic up in here, especially since the rest of the movie is pretty great. The gunplay is exciting and Takashi Miike's filming is the strongest it's ever been. The movie gets excessive at times, but Miike wraps his world in enough subtle quirk to keep this from becoming a chronic problem. The plot looks like nothing interesting - again, I can't really tell you for sure since we all tuned out the dialogue - but I'll be damned if this wasn't a style-over-substance exercise for Miike anyway. This film is definitely not for everyone, but if you're in the mood for a beautifully violent Western homage, check this one out.

P.S. an open note to Quentin Tarantino: stop acting. You are wasting our time and yours. Stay behind the camera.