Sukiyaki Western Django
Sukiyaki Western Django is a cowboy tale wilder than the Wild West itself. The motif is western but the cast is Japanese in a story that takes place in a dusty hamlet some centuries after Japan’s legendary Battle of Dannoura in 1185. Two gangs with ancient rivalries, the Red Clan and the White Clan are at war again over gold found in this town called Yuda. Decorated Japanese film maker Takashi Miike pays homage yet all the while lampoons spaghetti western of the ‘60s with the texture of his film and the introduction of a brooding but lightning fast no name gunman who holds the promise of bringing peace to the town - but with Miike’s connection to films like Hostel, peace is a long way into the future. Another odd injection is Quentin Tarantino in the role of another equally mysterious and deadly gunslinger who speaks in English like the rest of the cast but with a thick Japanese accent so that subtitles are required. Gang members in cowboy hats and range coats flail samurai swords as effectively as they fire Winchesters, Colts and even a Gatling gun. Like the dish sukiyaki, this hodge podge of crossed movie genres and scenarios that turn on a dime from hysterically funny to gore-fests turns out to be a tasty mix that low and behold ends up with a credible story line.