NYAFF 2008: Sukiyaki Western Django

Takashi Miike is a filmmaker who needs no introduction.
Japan’s preeminent maestro of extreme cinema, his penchant for sacrificing
sacred cows is rivaled only by his prolific output. Having never met a genre he
didn’t like, it’s of little surprise that he would eventually try his hand at
the spaghetti western. Sukiyaki Western Django is a grand genre mashup of
Japanese and American iconography – a bushido western. A nameless gunman (Hideaki
Ito) rides into a dilapidated dust-bowl town and gets caught up in a
Yojimbo-esque turf-war between two rival clans. Of course, not all is as it
appears as characters come out of the woodwork with hidden motivations – not the
least of which our anonymous hero and his skeleton riddled closet. The cast is
packed with familiar faces, including Quentin Tarantino in full camp mode (does
he know any other gear?). Crafted with the sweep of Leone, the artistry of Peckinpah,
and the sheer glee of the aforementioned Tarantino; the picture is a ballet of
genre-excess and ultra-violence. Filmed entirely in near-incomprehensible
English, Miike and co play the ridiculous premise straight which only adds to
the fun. In the same vein of Kill Bill, the film wears its influences proudly
and indeed basks in them. Make no mistake, Sukiyaki Western Django is pure
cinema goodness – a 35mm blast to the senses!