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Plot:
Two clans, Genji, the white clan led by Yoshitsune, and Heike, the red clan led by Kiyomori, battle for a legendary treasure hidden in a desolate mountain town. One day, a lone gunman, burdened with d...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:October 10, 2008
Perhaps the most unusual movie I have ever seen. A western with definite Japanese sensibilities, it is shot entirely with the actors speaking in English but I am not sure they even understand what they are saying, it also has English subtitles to bridge that gap. The plot is all over the place and while it makes little sense it takes a backseat to the quirky and somewhat insane characters. There is a sheriff that seems to be channeling Gollum from LoTR, there is a gang boss who thinks he is Henry the Fifth and seems to have the power to survive things by falling into a catatonic state. There is a lone gunman who seems to think he and his horse are in the Matrix and a native of some sort (they say Anasazi) whose cultural contribution is playing trumpet on a hill and on top of all this Quentin Terrantino shows up in a fairly weird cameo to be the one person who speaks Japanese in the film.
Anyway there is a lot of film fanboy moments from Fistfull of Dollars to the Killer to Yojimbo (with a different ending) to the Quick and the Dead, it is at least worth a look if only to say you have seen everything. -
MCT:September 28, 2008This film is greatness. Not sure what else I could have wanted from this. Maybe a little better english, but that's a fairly small gripe all things considered. I can't help but think this was Tarantino's wetdream of a movie come true.
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MCT:September 27, 2008
Sukiyaki Western Django is a spaghetti western genre, and I can totally picture Quentin Tarantino's big smile for this one, it's one of his fave genre.
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MCT:September 13, 2008
For those of you that don't know this is a spaghetti western, along the lines of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly or A Fistful of Dollars, directed by the great Japanese director Takashi Miike. Also starring Quentin Tarantino. The movie was great. Cheesy obviously at times...it's supposed to be. The dialogue was a little hard to hear and understand at times. Again...they are japanese actors speaking in English dialogue it's going to be a little tough to understand. But nonetheless a very entertaining movie. Lots of laughs and very cool fight scenes. The ending fight scene was quite as long as I was hoping for it to be but it was still awesome.
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MCT:September 10, 2008
This is one of those films you can either love or hate. Sukiyaki Western Django is the type of movie that will make any western fan smile while watching because of the ridiculous amount of references and homages it contains to "spaghetti westerns"
Takashi Miike blends in elements of Japanese, American and Italian culture to make this very odd, yet funny Western that is basically a mix of For a Few Dollars More (which was copied from Yojimbo) and Django. -
MCT:September 3, 2008Takashi Miike may be one of the most revered directors you?ve never heard of. Some of his work has developed a cult following here on the other side of the world (Audition, Ichi the Killer), but in his native country of Japan, Miike is more prolific than Woody Allen (over 70 film and television titles since 1991) and just as respected. Here in America, his acclaims include, but are not limited to:
* ?He is single handedly keeping world cinema vibrant and alive . . . He is a true visionary, and does things that few other directors would ever do . . . He is one of a kind.? - Eli Roth
* ?Takashi Miike is the only heir apparent to the true midnight movie sensibility. His films are always disturbing, always personal and always guaranteed to push the limits in one way or another.? - Guillermo del Toro
* ?Miike is one of the greatest directors living today.? - Quentin Tarantino
Indeed, Miike has shown an amazingly rare ability to shift gears from the controversial (Visitor Q), to the light hearted (The Great Yokai War), to the mainstream (One Missed Call) and handle each film with a skill that ranges from competent to masterful. Miike has shifted gears again to tackle his first English-language feature with Sukiyaki Western Django, and in a fashion popularized by his idolizer, Tarantino, has amalgamated various genres and mediums in an attempt to homage the spaghetti Western - specifically, Sergio Corbucci?s classic, Django. With the prolificness Miike demonstrates, it?s easier to find a dud than a gem. Avid fans of the Japanese director will undoubtedly (and not baselessly) accept Sukiyaki Western Django into their canon, but if this film is used as an indicator, it would come as no surprise to hear the first-timers dub Miike as nothing but average.
Sukiyaki Western Django posterIf you?re seen Sergio Leone?s A Fistful of Dollars or its influence, Kurosawa?s Yojimbo, then you?re already familiar the plot of Sukiyaki Western Django. Two rival clans, the Genji in white and the Heike in red, battle for a legendary treasure supposedly hidden in a desolate mountain town. When a lone Gunman (Hideaki Ito) blessed with amazing marksmanship wanders into town and offers his services, the clans try to woo him to their side. With Yoshitsune (Yusuke Iseya), the merciless warrior dedicated to fighting, leading the Genjis and Kiyomori (Koichi Sato), the Henry VIII spouting maniac, leading the Heikes, the choice appears to be between the lesser of two evils. Unbeknownst to both clans though, the Gunman has ulterior motives that benefit neither of them.
Also embroiled in the conflict are the few remaining townsfolk who stuck around after the clans drove everyone else out. Shizuka (Yoshino Kimura), is a Genji herself who angered the clan when she married Akira (Shun Oguri), a Heike later murdered by Kiyomari, who believed his union with Shizuka could help bring peace to the village. Their union spawned a son, Heihachi, and it?s for his protection that drives Shizuka back to the Genjis, who in turn use her as their private whore. Watching over Heihachi is Shizuka?s mother, Ruriko (Kaori Momoi), one of the early settlers of the village who hides a great secret that can aide the Gunman.
The story, as you can tell, is nothing earth shattering. I?m sure there will be little argument that the recipe was cooked better by the filmmakers Miike is attempting to homage. In fact, if anything, many of the unique story elements that Miike adds (the schizophrenic sheriff, the legend of the Bloody Benten, the Gatling gun subplot, Quentin Tarantino?s accent) convolute the story and dice up the pacing. Typified with the secret held within the coffin, many of the visual and narrative elements that he uses to homage are strictly surface level, wink-wink references that, unlike Tarantino, he fails to rework to the benefit of the overall narrative. It?s a shame to see a director of Miike?s talent merely copying and pasting. Combine all this with the fact that it?s an English-language film practically filled with actors of whom English is their second language, and you have some cumbersome goings-on.
Still from Sukiyaki Western Django
Miike fan or not, one thing everyone should be able to agree on is the astounding visual flair on display in Sukiyaki Western Django. First and foremost an homage to spaghetti Westerns, Miike employs rugged exteriors (on location and tongue-in-cheek painted sets), breath-taking cinematography (courtesy of Toyomichi Kurita), and the quick-paced choreography expected of all worthwhile gun fights. His tributes don?t stop at just Westerns though. With the sharp costumes, character mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, and epic duels that defy physics, Miike has agglomerated all the drool-inducing elements from kung-fu films, animes like Cowboy Beebop and video games like Red Dead Revolver into one grandiose spectacle. It?s hard to make a guy deflecting bullets with a samurai sword look cool, but this film pulls it off. Adding some auditory flair, die hard fans of the original Django may notice the original theme rearranged with new Japanese lyrics into a haunting melody reminiscent of Ennio Morricone.
It?d be a mistake to write Sukiyaki Western Django off as one of Takashi Miike?s duds but it?d be an equal mistake to think it will one day be amongst the titles that could be made into a ?Best of? DVD. Your brain will find plenty of moments to make your eyes roll, if your eyes aren?t too busy convulsing in a visual orgasm. Though it?s nice to look at, Sukiyaki Western Django still fails to fire on all cylinders and succeeds in becoming just another entertaining flick from a director who?s capable of so much more. -
MCT:August 30, 2008
Great story & excellent style. However the broken english and western proverbs get old fast. If you can get over that it's a pretty good film.
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MCT:August 21, 2008i wanted to turn this off within the first thirty seconds of hearing tarantino speak. the plot could barely keep my interest and the acting was unimpressive, but i loved the sets and wardrobe. things finally started to pick up during the last half of the film and tarantino ended up giving me the biggest laugh of the film (i laughed uproariously at his, "i guess i'm just an anime otaku at heart" line!). i thought momoi kaori was awesome and iseya yusuke gave a decent performance too, though some parts were just too silly. ultimately i don't think this was anything fantastic, it was a jumbled spectacle...somewhat disappointing.
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MCT:August 12, 2008I love westerns and I've seen many Django films but this is from Takashi Miike and if you haven't seen the trailer for it I suggest you do.
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MCT:July 24, 2008
This movie attempts to bridge the gap between Kurosawa(Yojimbo), Leone(Django), and Shakespeare. As an homage it is nice but it is certainly no replacement. The films surreal styles makes it feel like this story is taking place somewhere all the times with the characters locked in their predetermined fates. The story is so good that almost any take on it is good enough to watch. I think this movie falls just short of bringing anything really new but in a way, that alllright! If it aint broke dont fix it. Overall this flick is worth the watch!
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MCT:July 6, 2008
I just always loved Takashi Miike because he has his own unique style and he's also able to deliver a great film in almost any genre. This spaghetti western is awesome. There's enough of action sequences as well as comedy and drama. I also had a fun time trying to understand the characters' english. I must admit some of them were quite good actually. There's also a few appearances from Quentin Tarantino, which makes it even funnier. Watch it!
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MCT:June 30, 2008
When did Miike's films get so polished? This movie borders on classy -- without ever actually touching it, thankfully.
I was absolutely blown away by this movie. This is Miike's homage to the Spaghetti Western, and a stylish one at that. Has the definite feel of A Fistful of Dollars, and although the premise is something we've seen before, the presentation takes the concept and elevates it to a new level. Of course, it's Miike, so the word 'fantastic' comes to mind, in a couple different connotations.
Spaghetti Western returns to its Japanese roots, and damn it if the result isn't captivating. -
MCT:June 30, 2008I'm getting really tired of all modern Japanese movies being all exposition and flashbacks for three quarters of the runtime. There are some cool scenes here, but the movie is way too long.
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MCT:June 7, 2008
The Spaghetti-Western gets back to its real home, and takes Tarantino with it, physically and spiritually. Masterpiece.
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MCT:June 5, 2008
The film has awesome scenario and is incredibly clever and original in it's whole premise. The story is about two gangs the whites and reds who are battling for a hidden treasure which may not exist, when the mysterious gun man arrives to town...yes sounds like the typical western, but that's the whole point. The movie is Miike's tribute to both the classic Japanese Samurai/American Western epics and are blended together in a very interesting film. The movie was shot in English with an entire cast (besides tarantino) being native Japanese speakers. The movie is slightly slow in the middle, but opens with an awesome scene with Tarantino and ends with a very satisfying epic western gun fight. The movie is not to be taken seriously and obviously the whole "Sukiyaki" is a spin off of the Spaghetti Western. It's kind of hard to come by but worth a look I enjoyed it.
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MCT:May 10, 2008The weirdest western film I have seen. Actually, its the only weird western film there is!
Takashi Miike (I don't know the guy's previous works) is apparently a big shot director in Japan and his latest film "Sukiyaki Western Django" is an ode to Italian spaghetti Westerns and directors like Corbucci, Leone and Kurosawa. The film is about a gunslinger who is thrust in the middle of a town where two warring clans, the White Genjis and the Red Heikes, duke it out for the rumored treasure hidden deep in the town.
When I first heard about the film, I expected a lot of good old shootouts, above awesome dialogs and really, really cool characters. Upon watching it I only ended up with the really cool characters. The dialogs and script was not that bad but it would be really cool if the characters aren't stuttering with their "engrish". I honestly cannot understand what they're saying, I found it really hard to keep track with the flow of the story. The action is a complete zero. Its like hunting down the Loch Ness and you end up with a tadpole. The big showdown in the end wasn't really that cool and the supposed climax was a quick 5 second fight scene between the Gunman and the Genji leader.
Halfway through the film you'll find yourself painfully listen to the engrish these characters speak and you'd rather just get on with the ending than endure the carabao language, bad dialog and bizarre scenarios. On a positive note, the characters in the film looked really cool even though they were drenched in either white or red. Was there a dress code back in the 1100's?
The Genji leader, sporting a frizzy windblown hairstyle, is a skilled gunman and swordsman. His coolness factor went off the roof when he shot his gun sideways and the bullet went straight to the poor guy with red highlights. The Heike leader's coolness factor went off the charts when he shot the white boys with a gatling gun. Quentin Tarantino makes an appearance as Bloody Benten's husband, Ringo. Bloody Benten is a skilled marksman with eight hands, figuratively speaking. She helps the Gunman in the end but is soon killed by a conniving Gollum-like Sheriff.
"Sukiyaki" is style over substance. It had so much style that it affected the substance. 2.5/5 -
MCT:April 13, 2008
I don't know why people seem to consider this to be a mainstream effort for Miike... if anything, this was an experiment. Perhaps one of his least accessible films to date.
With a film like this, you'll either 'get it' or you won't. I really liked what he was trying to do and I thought a lot of it was pretty fantastic. It did drag in the middle, but once it picked back up it was very entertaining.
The english spoken in this film will put a lot of people off, but it's one of those things you need to accept and love about it. The acting in this movie is actually quite good.
The cinematography in this is perfect. The sets and scenery are beautiful, and the way it is showcased is a mixture of classic western homage and creative new techniques. It shows Miike did his homework and has a genuine affection for the genre. Plus, he put enough of himself (as well as took pages from Tarantino's cookbook) in it to make it a unique and intense experience. -
MCT:February 27, 2008Although it's extremely slow in parts and somewhat sluggish, the build-up at the end and the complete payoff of explosions, action, stylish asskicking/shooting, and the characters being cool makes EVERYTHING worth it. Truly a unique film unlike anything you will EVER see. The phonetic English does unfortunately mean you should watch this with subs turned on (or a transcript after you see it), but it's still worth seeing for any film fanatic, western fan, Miike fan, and so forth. Bizarre, weird, fun, and totally awesome. :D
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MCT:February 26, 2008
I would rank this higher if it wasn't for the embarrasing inclusion of Tarantino and the even more embarrasing lines and scenes that they certainly wrote just for him. I know Miike wanted to pay back his cameo role in Hostal, but this was too much. But on the other hand, one of the lines that Tarantino speaks certainly fits his persona a lot. I wonder if he's even aware of it.
Aside from that, this is a lot of fun, with all the usual touches you would expect from Miike: charismatic characters, unexpected moments, dark humour and so on. Miike knows how to let his characters breath and develope, even with all the crazyness around them. This is a great homage to the spaguetti western genre, great cast, Kaori Momori rocks, and that sheriff guy is very fun to watch. Just beware of the posible international/USA cut that this might get (if they're going to cut the QT parts now that would be great) -
MCT:February 25, 2008
At last, Yojimbo meets Clint Eastwood and Henry V. A bizarre mix of Samurai and Western Movies. But after all, Shakespeare Kurosawa and Leone just told (splendid) variations of the same tale.
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MCT:February 19, 2008
One reason why this is badass. In 'Once Upon a Time in America', you have a good guy who wants to kill bad guy but before that he helps him as he wants to personally kill bad guy and not others. Here, you have a bad guy who lets his own bad guys get killed as he wants to stay alive to kill another bad guy. Now, I don't know if there's any particular similarity, but I don't care, this is still a badass movie.
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MCT:February 17, 2008
A mix of Django and Yojimbo. The oddest thing about this film, in my mind at least, is that it comes across as less over-the-top than the original Django in some ways.
Some viewers may be bothered by the less than perfect English of the Japanese cast; I took this as homage to the horrible dubbing of Django. Turns out I prefer bad accents to bad dubbing.
A slow buildup is made up for in the action-packed finale. While the movie is not the best of the crop of Red Harvest-based films (Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars, Django, etc.) it certainly isn't the worst. Not Miiike's best work, but if you're a fan of Miiike or spaghetti Westerns you'll probably want to give it a look. -
MCT:February 14, 2008
I'm not a big Takashi Miike fan; his ultraviolence doesn't really do it for me, but i do appreciate his beautiful vision and his abiliity to create wonderful tension on screen. So i'm very intrigued by this movie.
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MCT:November 17, 2007
The problem with this film is that the overall joke-- it's a samurai western!-- wears off really quickly, and what you're left with doesn't hold up well on its own. Combine that with the fact that Takeshi's filmmaking style doesn't appeal to me and you have a film that's more a curiosity than an effective piece on its own.
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