Sukiyaki

I just want to take a moment to follow up on Pete Croatto’s review of Sukiyaki Western Django with my own brief review: like, wow. I happen to love Japanese director Takashi Miike rather profoundly, mainly because no one else in cinema can match his awe-inspiring combination of ambition, style, bravery, depravity, and humor. Prolific to the point of obsession, he’s like a power hitter who steps up to the plate and swings at every pitch, yielding lots of home runs, quite a few strikeouts, but almost nothing in between. Sukiyaki Western Django is but one of many examples of Miike toying with the history of film and bending it to his own crazy will. You’ll never look at a Spaghetti Western the same way again, especially when you hear his characters trying to wrap their Japanese mouths around wild-west lingo like “lily-livered loser.” You can imagine how that sounds with a Japanese accent. Why the hell did he do this English? I have no idea, but that’s Miike for you. Now go rent Ichi the Killer, a FilmCritic.com five-star pick, and Visitor Q.