DVD REVIEW

Sukiyaki Western Django

First Look Pictures || R || November 11, 2008

Synopsis

Two clans battle for a legendary treasure hidden in a desolate mountain town.  One day, a lone gunman with incredible shooting skills drifts into town.  The 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.


Critique

Sukiyaki Western Django is an otherwise straightforward western that has been filtered through Takashi Miike’s singular style, which is to say that this film is as normal and straightforward as any other Miike masterpiece: just normal enough to be totally bizarre.

There is a deliberate, stylized artificiality to the film, particularly the scenes with Quentin Tarantino (who plays Ringo, more or less the narrator of the piece).  The use of English in the film adds still another surreal layer.  The language is heavily accented, and the delivery is awkward, accented in some odd places, and it is stilted, spoken somewhat naturally by people who seem to have little actual grasp of the language.  This adds a bizarre layer to everything.

We have the Gattling gun in the coffin – maybe the most important element in a Django film – but the film also feels heavily influenced by A Fistful of Dollars, with the lone gunman caught between the two rival factions of a dead-end town.  Yoshitsune (Yusuke Iseya) is a villain straight out of Leone, not unlike the heavies Gian Maria Volontè used to play.

As experimental as this film is, there are some surprisingly formal moments, and there are moments that call to mind many notable westerns.  Django might give the film its name, but Sukiyaki Western Django takes its cues from everything from the films of Leone and Sergio Corbucci to – in the scene with Ringo as an old man – Young Guns II.  The gunfights in the film are incredible, and the villains are classic spaghetti western baddies, as opposed to the sick, sadistic types we might normally expect from Miike.

The presence of Quentin Tarantino feels like another stylized move.  There are flashbacks that look like they were shot on infrared film, quick zooms, and many other flourishes, but Tarantino’s casting is the grandest touch.  His very presence takes us out of the film.  Here we have a famous director, known for his own distinct style, telling us the story.  Tarantino doesn’t so much cat as he does an impression of what a character like this might be like.  Tarantino returns later in the film as an impossibly old man delivering some of the film’s most gravity-laden dialogue.  Tarantino is barely in the film, and he has such a strong persona that it makes creating a performance all but impossible.

Sukiyaki Western Django is an intense, fun film with a great, cathartic ending.  The cast is great and Miike’s direction is sharp.  The Gunman rides into town, then he rides out, but a lot happens on that ride down Main Street.


The Video

Sukiyaki Western Django is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio.  The transfer is sharp, and the full extent of the film’s palate is expertly represented.  From the natural colors to the more stylized scenes to the (what looks like) infrared-filmed scenes, the entire picture is crisp and presented perfectly.


The Audio

This disc is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital and the presentation is excellent.  The quiet moments are well balanced with the louder, more chaotic moments.  All channels are clear and well balanced.


Special Features

Making-of Featurette: a look at Miike and his crew on the set of the film.  We hear from just about everyone and this is very informative.

Deleted Scenes: exactly that, a whole reel of them.

Trailers: two of them.


Final Thoughts

Sukiyaki Western Django is a fun film from start to finish.  This is a bit of a departure for Miike, and the film itself isn’t as bizarre or grotesquely violent as we might expect, but the thumbprint is there.  The bonus material is good, but there is always room for more.

VERDICT: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

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Review posted on Nov 18, 2008 | Share this article | Top of Page

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