SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO is prolific Japanese
cult director Takashi Miike's samurai tribute to the Spaghetti Western
genre. With an irreverent style and an obvious knowledge of the oater
canon, Miike sets out to celebrate the factory line artistry of films
such as Sergio Leone's A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and Sergio Carbucci's
DJANGO, while fully embracing the dazzling, post-modern aesthetic of
movies such as KILL BILL and DESPERADO. And while homage and cinematic
genre mash-ups can both be high on genuine artistic vision, it's clear
from the supremely stylized opening prologue--with its transparent set
pieces, outrageous kill shots, and cameo from that anointer of cult
films himself, Quentin Tarantino--that Miike is out to have fun above
all. The story follows a Man With No Name gunfighter brought to a small
village in Nevada to protect the townspeople from two rival gangs at war
over a treasure hidden in the nearby hills. Themes of honor, tradition,
loyalty, and family give the film some dramatic weight, but SUKIYAKI
WESTERN DJANGO primarily works as a high-octane action flick, albeit one
made by a director with style and smarts. The samurai sword lust,
kung-fu bar brawls, and John Woo-style operatic gun play remain
completely gripping regardless of plot. Yet though the basic story has
been told by everyone from Dashiell Hammett to the Coen Brothers to
Akira Kurosawa, it's one that has clearly worked its way into the
pantheon of contemporary myth and makes for solid dramatic ground on
which an entertaining spectacle can unfurl.
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