Following last week’s enjoyable venture into the realm of the East Asian western genre, I received my copy of Miike Takashi’s Sukiyaki Western Django ｢スキヤキ ウェスタン ジャンゴ｣ yesterday in the post. And I must say the film is a hoot.
If you think TGTBTW was unique (a Korean film with a western feel), SWD is a totally different kettle of fish. To say it’s bizarre is an understatement somewhat. How do I begin… the setting is in Japan some hundred years after the Genpei war (Genpei kassen). The architecture of the set is Japanese (western-styled bars complete with ornately decorated fusuma sliding doors). The costumes is mainly western with occasional bōsōzoku twists to it. And get this, the dialogue is spoken in English. By a Japanese cast whose first language isn’t English – which meant that you had to really listen to get what they are saying throughout the film (no English subs unfortunately)!
