Sorry for the long absence, I recently moved and have been a bit busy at a new job.
BUT, I have been watching and reading, so…
I recently watched Sukiyaki Western Django, a Japanese-style spaghetti-western; hence the title. The oddest thing about the whole movie is the English: every actor speaks English, even though its not their first language, or they learned enough for the lines and they have heavy accents. Its a bit odd, really. Not sure the affect they were going for, but it got my attention…
Its supposed to be an attempt at the backstory of the cult spaghetti-western (which I now want to see as a result of this film) Django. SWD is fairly action-packed, and very eastern in its feel and execution. I’ve heard many parallels drawn between Japanese samurai flicks and American westerns; both being simple moral stories with a hero (and later anti-hero) who wins over the villain(s) while defending someone(s) helpless, ect. And in the film they make reference to the similarities between gunfighters and samurai, but really its about a bunch of people getting shot up. The BIG difference between this film and American westerns it the divorcement from reality: at the climax the villain is parrying bullets with a sword. But for anyone like me, who has played the cool (yet repetetive) game Samurai Western, this movie is a cool extension of the concept, or rather blending of the concepts.
Anyhow, two rival gangs move into a town rumored to have a great treasure from a long-past gold rush. The hero wanders in, impresses them both with his masterful gun-fu and is offered deals from each to help dispose of the other. he joins the larger force to take out the lesser, then turns on his bosses (reminds me of a fistful of dollars) over a girl, whos life, and son’s life, were ruined by an inter-gang romance. ANYhow, there’s a big finale featuring an armored villain with a gattling gun, which is pretty awesome, and the aforementioned crazy swordplay is also cool.
Oh, also, Quentin Tarantino makes a lengthly appearance as the master gunfighter, blending the mannerisms of the western outlaw and eastern master samurai. All-in-all, though I’m not a fan of Tarantino or his movies, and especially NOT his ‘acting’.
6 out of 10
~Luby
