“Sukiyaki Western Django” is a homage to spaghetti westerns that mixes samurai and gunslingers in a visually stylish, bloody soup that is weirdly entertaining if not completely satisfying.
The plot, if such an incoherent narrative can be considered to have one, is loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s “Yojimbo” and focuses on a mysterious lone gunman who rides into a remote mountain town that is controlled by two rival gangs, the Heike known as the Reds and the Genji known as the Whites. Determined to find a gold treasure in the town, the two sides are creating quite a ruckus with the locals.
The movie works best when viewed as a kind of live-action anime set in a post-apocalyptic Mad Max vision of 19th century Nevada. While the nameless gunslinger is rather stoic and thus somewhat bland, the leaders of the two gangs radiate a certain 70’s rock-star charisma. Throw in some over-the-top, stylized action sequences, gory death scenes, a vengeance seeking widow-turned-prostitute, a lonely grandmother who reveals herself to be the legendary Bloody Benten, gunslinger extraordinaire, a sheriff with a split personality and the result is a bizarre sensory extravaganza. While there are extended moments of tedium and humor which falls flat, it’s worth watching for the absurd and oddball action which culminates in a visually spectacular showdown as swords and silver bullets clash amidst a background of pelting snow.
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