Monday, November 17, 2008

Sukiyaki Western Django

This might be the weirdest title of a movie I've ever seen. The storyline itself, too, is a bit weird, but in a good way. The setting is actually Nevada, presumably in the 1860s-1880s (the timeline is never given). But here's the catch: instead of an old prospector, the town is filled with Japanese Samurai-Cowboy hybrids. Even stranger, they all speak English (this is actually a problem at times, and I had to turn on the subtitles). If I've confused you, hopefully the trailer will help:



This movie gets all sorts of style points and plenty of points for creativity, but the problem is that the story is weak (two rival tribes seeking hidden treasure, while a lone gunman wanders into town and tries to find the treasure himself) and the action isn't outstanding.

Also--and this is simply personal preference--I would've liked the movie more if it had featured martial arts instead of guns. Don't get me wrong, I love me some gunfights (Tombstone, anyone? Smokin' Aces, Shoot 'Em Up, etc.), but the gun action is merely satisfactory here. When you're an action film, the action needs to be superb. Furthermore
, if you're going to mix guns and martial arts, you have to live up to The Matrix and Kill Bill... which Sukiyaki Western Django doesn't do.

Final Grade: C+
Blurb: The action is slightly above average, which is not enough to make up for the somewhat weak storyline. The idea of this movie is cooler than the movie itself.

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