Sukiyaki Western Django
An Epic Tale of Blood, Lust and Greed
Famed Japanese auteur Takashi Miike, best known for cult classics Audition, Ichi the Killer, and The City of Lost Souls, redefines the spaghetti Western with Sukiyaki Western Django, a tale written in blood. Two clans, the white, Genji clan, led by Yoshitsune, and the red, Heike clan, led by Kiyomori, battle for a legendary treasure hidden in a desolate mountain town. One day, a lone gunman, burdened with deep emotional scars but blessed with incredible shooting skills, drifts into town. Two clans try to woo the lone gunman to their side, but he has ulterior motives. Dirty tricks, betrayal, desire and love collide as the situation erupts into a final, explosive showdown.
Member Reviews
Grew on Me - Newgrange
I really wasn't sure what to make of this when my husband first started watching it, but in the end, I would have to say I more or less liked it.
You have to work a bit to get past the funky Asian-Western twang accents and lingo (along with the color-coordinated outfits), but once you do, the story is good, the acting is good (whether inspite of, or because of the funky accents, I'm honestly not sure), and it gets better, and more fun, the longer you watch.You Like It Or You Don't - LovesFilms
This is a type of movie that you'd love it, or you won't. Personally, I loved it and I had bough it the day it came out, however I am a little biased because I really like Yusuke Iseya. I think you have to already like movies like this, by which I mean strange ones.
If you do watch this, you have to not take it seriously, because if you do, you won't like it. I find there's comedic elements, and I LOVE how it's filmed.
One thing I found cool about it was how it was filmed entirely in english, not dubbed, but with Japanese actor's who DON'T KNOW THE LANGUAGE. So I think people should cut them some slack. It's like having you act in Japanese.
If you like strange, odd, but entertaining movies, that don't have to be totally realistic, then I think you'd like this. This IS a Takashi Miike film, but from what I know of him, it's not as graphic as his other movies.
I recommend it greatly.Familiar western with an Asian twist - jagfilm
The first thing to note is that this disc only contains the 98 minute "international cut" and not the full 2 hr cut. That said, the film is so dull you probably won't mind missing those extra 30 min. If you're going to watch this, I'd recommend renting it and then watching the last 45 minutes when Miike dispenses with the boring and now familiar storyline featured in dozens of westerns (lone drifter comes between two clans blah blah blah) and gets more interested in choreographing his gunfighters. There are some very good as well as very funny Miike flourishes that don't make this a complete waste of time (the sequence of one of the clan leaders using the wind to shoot someone from a distance is pretty great; the burst of feathers instead of blood at certain points), but this is only recommended for the Miike completist.
Oh, for anyone who has even a mild dislike of Quentin Tarantino, this film may cause you to have a seizure. Not only do we get Tarantino speaking English in a faux-Japanese accent (yes, it's as horrible as it sounds), we also get QT later in the film in full "old man" makeup where he proceeds to make the worst joke/pun/homage about the film Akira you're likely to hear.
You may want to watch the film with subtitles, as the Asian actors speak phonetic English for most of the film. However, if you don't, the English spoken by the majority of the actors is actually pretty understandable and it's only the syntax they don't quite get from time to time. And even if you don't quite understand it, the storyline is so rote you'll still be able to understand what's going on.
Member Reviews
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Grew on Me - Newgrange
I really wasn't sure what to make of this when my husband first started watching it, but in the end, I would have to say I more or less liked it.
You have to work a bit to get past the funky Asian-Western twang accents and lingo (along with the color-coordinated ...You Like It Or You Don't - LovesFilms
This is a type of movie that you'd love it, or you won't. Personally, I loved it and I had bough it the day it came out, however I am a little biased because I really like Yusuke Iseya. I think you have to already like movies like this, by which I mean strange ...Familiar western with an Asian twist - jagfilm
The first thing to note is that this disc only contains the 98 minute "international cut" and not the full 2 hr cut. That said, the film is so dull you probably won't mind missing those extra 30 min. If you're going to watch this, I'd recommend renting it ...