Review: ‘Sukiyaki Western Django’

Jeremy:

As a director, Takashi Miike takes the old adage of “less is more” and tramples all over it like a bull in Pamplona. Miike’s films are stark-raving mad lunacy of epic proportions, many of which cannot even be described on a family-oriented website. His 2001 film, ‘Visitor Q’, is, off the top of my head, the weirdest, most unflinching film I have ever seen, and that’s pretty much par for the course for Miike.

So, when I heard Miike was directing a Japanese remake of Sergio Corbucci’s ‘Django’ (read my Movie Melting Pot on that film here) with a little help from one, Mr. Quentin Tarantino, I knew there would be something, at the very least, interesting to see on the screen. The man did just about everything but disappoint.

Miike’s ‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ is a celebration of Spaghetti Western classics and feudal Asian Samurai flicks alike. It takes just about the very best elements of both Sergio Leone and Akira Kurosawa (both heavily influenced Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’ saga as well) and amps them up to 11.

The story centers around a small town in Japan and the two clans who fight over its ownership. A strange man enters town, and, after seeing the stellar gunplay the stranger provides, the two gangs attempt to lure him to their side. It is much like the original ‘Django’ in that it takes Kurosawa’s ‘Yojimbo’ and places it in another setting.

‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ is both epic filmmaking and veritable comfort food for anyone who likes a little style with their substance. The photography here is beautiful thanks to cinematographer, Toyomichi Kurita, who, if you look at his filmography, you will notice has worked with Tyler Perry more often than Miike. The duo of Miike and Kurita seem to have blended an absolutely perfect mix of sweeping style, gritty violence, and even, at times, the sense of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. This last part is particularly seen in the film’s incredible opening, where the backdrops are clearly fake, but that aspect doesn’t detract from what is going on on screen one bit.

There is one issue with ‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ that holds this back from being an overall perfect film, however. This is a Japanese film shot with Japanese actors, yet, for no apparent reason, Miike has his actors speak English. For those who hate reading subtitles, this may sound like a good thing. Unfortunately, most of the actors can’t speak English, themselves, and their thick, Asian accents make it very difficult to understand what is being said. This makes it kind of jarring having to read English subtitles while listening to someone speak English. It’s just an issue that wouldn’t have been raised at all had Miike had his actors speak their native languages.

Fortunately, the story is rather easy to follow, so having to understand every line of dialogue isn’t imperative. You can just sit back and enjoy the action and characters that unfold on screen. The characters part is what sets Miike’s version of this story apart from others.

Miike’s film, much like his other films, is loaded with some awesome characters, my favorite of which is one of the gang leaders who forces his men to re-enact Shakespearean plays and wants to be called ‘Henry’. Tarantino’s character, at first, is kind of annoying, but, once his real purpose for being in the film is revealed, it’s awesome, as well.

‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ is a visual treat for everyone who chooses to see it. Even if you have never seen Corbucci’s original ‘Django’ you will have a great time. If you are a big fan of the original ‘Django’, though, you won’t be disappointed. Miike is clearly a fan of the original, as well, and has incorporated many aspects and inside jokes that will make fans of the original smile.

Yes, the Gatling gun is back, this time with a vengeance. Luis Bacalov’s original ‘Django’ theme is back, this time a “reimagining” itself of the original song that Miike holds back until the end credits.

‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ is one more example of why Miike is one of the most brilliant filmmakers to come out of the East. It is an unhinged mammoth of lunatic ideas that could only have been brought to the screen by the pairing of Miike and Tarantino. Tarantino’s only credited as an actor here, but you know he provided ideas of his own. That’s a great thing. Nobody does this kind of film better than Tarantino. He is the master. Miike is close, and ‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ proves that point one shimmering bullet after another. There is not enough room to describe how brilliantly crafted this film is.

[rating:4.5/5]

Travis:

‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ is a film that I really liked a lot, but had to work very hard to appreciate it in it’s entirety. It’s not a complicated film. It’s not lost within it’s own story, or slow, or boring or any of that. No, this film is merely hard to fully absorb as a westerner because the actors all speak in English with very strong Japanese accents. Other than this, ‘Sukiyaki’ is an amazing film that retells an old Japanese story in a way that pays great homage to the best of the western genre.

‘Sukiyaki Western Django’ is a strange title that makes relative sense once you’ve seen the film. Sukiyaki is a meal in which the narrator of the prologue, a crazy western gunman played by Quentin Tarantino, is eating. The western part is obvious, but the Django part refers to the ending in which a young boy is destined to become a traveling gunman well-known by fans of the spaghetti western genre. The opening scene, a pseudo-prologue, sets an odd but interesting mood for the film as the sunset and landscape are playfully painted into the frame as Tarantino’s eccentric character, tells of another time to a small group of would-be gunslingers who stumble upon his small camp.

The film tells the story of two rival clans who are forever embattled with each over for supremacy. The two rival gangs are constantly at each other’s throats with the balance of power wavering at any moment. Like the man with no name, a lone gunman arrives in the small town to assist the town’s people against the rival faction, led by a highly trained and skillful gunslinger [slash] samurai. The film is filled with characters that director Miike pulled from classics of the western genre and re-stylized with his own unique flair. The leader of the “red” clan is obsessed with Shakespeare and insists on being called Henry. In one bizarre but fascinating scene in a bar, a woman dances an odd but alluring sort of tribal dance while a small huddle of musicians play an aboriginal didgeridoo and drums. There’s also the strong female character in Bloody Benten, a woman of small stature who is unequaled in speed and accuracy with a six-shooter.

Visually, ‘Sukiyaki’ is unbelievably poetic and beautiful in its use of brilliant landscapes and cinematography combined with the vast amount of gunfire, action, violence blood and explosions. Taken with the musical score and the superb editing, ‘Sukiyaki’ is like a western symphony of death and carnage. I love the ending when virtually the entire town is dead, but the lone gunman in black faces off for a final duel with the leader of the “white” clan who chooses his samurai sword over his gun. Instantaneously, the harsh and dry landscape of the west that has prevailed throughout the film is replaced with a soft and supple snowfall, in a sense marking this final battle as a sacred event. Despite the curious oddities and cultural anomalies of ‘Sukiyaki Western Django’, the film is not a comedy but a very well-done epic masterpiece that would have earned a higher rating if only I could have understood what the characters were saying.

[rating:4/5]