Sukiyaki Western Django
Filed Under: Film, Reviews | Article Tags : DVD review
By: Denis Blot
November 2008
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Sukiyaki Western Django, don’t you just love the way it sounds? It might even make you ponder if you can say it three times fast without getting tongue tied, but mostly it makes you wonder what its all about. Well to put it in base terms, Takashi Miike’s latest film fuses the Japanese samurai genre with that of the American Western and a bit of Spaghetti Western as well. If some of you cinephiles out there are having the immediate reaction of “isn’t that what Quentin Tarrantino did with Kill Bill?” you would not be mistaken, though while Tarrantino set his film in the present, had more references to martial arts films, and had Uma Thurman travel to Japan, Miike sets his film in the past in a non-descript Japanese/American western mining town called Nevada, Utah. He even pays acknowledgement to Tarrantino by having him appear in the film (the only non-Japanese cast member).
So what exactly is the point of fusing the two genres? Well there’s a bit of a film history lesson to all of this, and it begins with John Ford. Ford, who directed some of the earliest and best westerns (Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Searchers), had an influence on legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa, besides attaining international interest for Japanese film (his film Roshomon won a Palme D’Or at Cannes), made some of the most recognized samurai films including the classic The Seven Samurai. In turn, his work would influence American films like the western The Magnificent Seven (based on The Seven Samurai) and Star Wars which has ties to several of Kurosawa’s films most notably The Hidden Fortress. Finally, Spaghetti Westerns were western genre films made in Italy (several which starred Clint Eastwood), were the last period when several western films were successfully made and left a mark on the genre.
Miike’s film has, as expected, many of the trademarks found in both westerns and samurai films; a town plagued by greed and violence, a sheriff who is powerless to do anything (also in this case playing the oddly comedic fool), the lone warrior/gunman who strolls into town, one hell of a final shootout, and legends that are unraveled as the film progresses, and while these attributes are nothing new, it is Miike’s directing abilities and style that bring forth a film that is artistically entertaining. The film has lovely saturated colors, references to anime, Shakespeare, Star Wars, and a good dose of violence that any fan of Miike’s work will easily recognize. The one aspect of the film that viewers will consider problematic (some may find annoying) is that Miike had all his Japanese actors speak in English. While this certainly ties into the whole East meets West relationship Miike is cultivating through the film, it is often difficult to comprehend the actors dialogue given with a thick accent. Luckily the DVD comes with English subtitles and they will make the viewing experience a lot easier.
With deleted scenes that have nothing of much interest and a behind the scenes look at the film that runs close to an hour, the DVD extras are just enough to wet one’s appetite but not necessarily satisfy one’s hunger. Fans of Miike will be pleased to see him talk and giving direction on set on the behind the scenes feature.
Western Sukiyaki Django is a welcome addition to Miike’s work, and for his fans this DVD is certainly a must buy, but for others who might be fans of the western genre and/or curious about the film but unfamiliar with Miike’s films. I recommend renting it.
Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!
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