Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0687797123299
Format: AC-3
Label: First Look Pictures
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: First Look Pictures
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2008-11-11
Running Time: 98
Studio: First Look Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
MPN: FLPD12329D

Two clans the white genji clan led by yoshitsune and the red heike clan led by kiyomori battle for a legendary treasure in a desolate mountain town. One day a lone gunman drifts into town. Two clans try to woo the lone gunman to their side but he has ulterior motives. Studio: First Look Home Entertain Release Date: 11/11/2008 Run time: 98 minutes Rating: R

Customer Rating:
Summary: Really Bad
Comment: Just because a movie is a parody of a genre does not mean it is a good parody. I found this film to be a bad waste of time. No surprise that the story line is familiar ... that is expected. However, everything that happens in the movie is obvious and just plain dumb. The film is gratuitously violent which is far from the worst part of the movie.

It is extremely hard to impossible to understand the dialogue. Either this film needs to be subtitled, dubbed or have the actors learn to articulate in English. As it stands, you can only understand maybe half of what is said ... and I consider myself particular adept at speaking with individual with diverse dialects. I am glad I bought this used for $1. It really was not even worth that.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: what a disaster
Comment: asians make some darn good movies ...this isnt one of them ..
this is an actual waste of time and money ... so save urs...

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great Big Wonderful Unwatchable Mess of a Movie!
Comment: This parody of a Spaghetti Western, crazily bizarre and wonderful although thoroughly unwatchable has the look and feel of something Salvador Dali has made by grafting Kurosawa to Leone and then adding his own surrealist interpretation of Shakespeare's Henry V.
Just as Hegel thought he witnessed the end of history through, I believe, Napoleon, Miike seems to be making the final word on Post-Modernism.
The premise, roughly speaking, is the same as that found in Kurosawa's Yojimbo, the setting is 'Nevada' Japan. In Miike's vision, Nevada is peopled by Japanese from the 1600's Samurai era who also happen to wield six shooters and wear western gear ala USA of the 1870's.
The action takes place between two rival clans claiming ownership of the town (The Reds and the Whites, ala Shakespeare or the Eastern and Western armies ala the Sengoku period in Japan, etc.).
The action is comprised of all manner of superhuman special effects, most done with lots of over the top gore and the satirical use of preposterous special effects.
The visuals are splendid, in fact, the problem is that the dialogue is entirely in the English and it is obvious that most of the actors learned their lines phonetically and don't really know how to speak English. As such, it is very difficult to follow the dialogue which gets tedious rather quickly. Also, the story-line is thin gruel and ceases to remain engaging once the effects of the visually resplendent cast wears off.
If you can stand these two flaws, the movie is doubtless worth watching it all the way through just for the visuals. I couldn't, and didn't.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: sukiyaki django
Comment: a great movie enjoyed it from beginning to end. highly recommend to
everyone that loves these type of movies.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Noble Attempt
Comment: When I saw this trailer, I knew I must see the movie!

Sukiyaki Western Django is an ambitious attempt to place Japanese sensibilities in to a uniquely American genre: the western. While it is essentially a remake of A Fist Full of Dollars, Sukiyaki Western Django is at once so much more and so much less. To quote another western, it is "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly."

The Good:
The film is beautifully shot. There is no denying it. There are some scenes which leave you dumbfounded. Instead of going for easy outs or cliche shots, Takashi Miike works to create a stunningly believable movie. The gun fights are exciting and full of drama. There is a real sense of tension and drama.

Instead of taking the easy way out ("everybody was kung fu fighting") the film tries to stick with a traditional western. The bar fights are fist fights. The showdowns are gun fights. There is no ninja action. There is no karate. Everyone behaves as you would expect in this world.

The costumes and scenery deserve a special mention. When I talk about Japanese sensibilities in a western film, nowhere is it more obvious than in the costumes and set pieces. While the characters are dressed in dusters and chaps, those same items are painted with kimono-style prints. The town taverns are western at the base, and pagodaed at the top. It makes for a surreal, yet fitting stage for this movie.

The Bad:
All the actors in this film are Japanese, yet they all speak English. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if they all spoke English WELL. Unfortunately, it is clear that some of them are speaking phonetic English and having a lot of difficulty with it. About thirty minutes in to the film, I turned on the subtitles. It made it much easier to understand the actors and follow the film. I would have preferred that the director either a: had the actors speaking in Japanese then over-dub in English (a la the old spaghetti westerns) or b: had the actors speak Japanese then put up subtitles (since I ended up needing them anyway!).

Also, even with the subtitles on, the film is difficult to follow. Characters pop up and disappear with no real reason or warning. While the main characters are compelling, the supporting characters (which should add to the film) are a real detraction. I could have lived without the schizophrenic Sheriff. I think he was played for a comedic effect that was not needed in the film.

The Ugly:
Two words: Quintin Tarentino. He shows up in this film for a total of ten minutes and really stinks up the place. He opens the film in a surreal, painted stage set, speaking in a horribly indistinguishable accent. He is there to introduce the concept and background of the movie. It could have been done easier and more effectively through a bit of text on the screen.

Overall I am glad I watched this movie. While it is not the best movie I have seen lately, it is one that sticks with you. You find yourself thinking back to the action scenes, to the sets, to the costumes, and imagining what could have been. This film really had the opportunity to be the next Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Too bad it fell short. But, you can't fault them for trying!

Recommended

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