All these Quentin Tarantino rip-offs simply make me appreciate his original films all the much more. Because obviously his particular style is not easy to pull off, seeing that these imitators keep failing. And failing spectacularly, at that.Case in point, Sukiyaki Western Django, a spaghetti western homage, starring an all-Asian cast yet taking place in the Wild West, specifically in Nevada. And, featuring a cameo by Tarantino himself, the only Caucasian dude in the whole movie. The reason it fails? It tries to be too much like a Quentin Tarantino film. It has an extreme case of style over substance, is filled with meaningless dialogues that don't connect with the plot in any way, has action scenes filled to the brim with gore, splatter and over the top stunts, cares more about looking cool than explaining any of its logic and is at its heart a big, nostalgic softie for the bygone days of film making. Unfortunately, here the mixture doesn't work and the whole film feels hollow and empty, instead of meaningful and revolutionary like most Tarantino films do.One of the reasons for this is simply the fact that the actors are nowhere near talented enough to pull off the nonchalant attitude needed to sell the premise. I can see that they would probably be fine in any other film, but here their talents are simply not enough. The other reason is the writing, which is riddled with spaghetti western clichés and conventions. And yeah, it's an homage, of course it has clichés. But the thing is, an homage still needs to do something new with the clichés, just like any other film. Either that, or it needs to be absolutely sure that it uses the clichés correctly and in a non-boring manner. Which this movie does not.Still, the film has its upsides. The action scenes are enjoyable, especially the final fight sequence, though once again I'm annoyed that the final confrontation is between two dudes despite the fact that the proposed toughest badass in the whole film is a lady. The said final battle also looks really good, although the rest of the film suffers from serious colour balance problems. But, the overall style and art design is solid, the actors try their best and the soundtrack has some really good moments.Personally I think that Sukiyaki Western Django tries too hard. It would have been a better film if wasn't trying to imitate Tarantino's style so heavily, though the fact that it did is understandable because the man himself was involved with the project. Nevertheless, if you're a die-hard fan of the so called Tarantino approved films, you should check this one out. If you're not, there are better films out there.

The fact that this is a very strange film should not come as a surprise, as it was directed by Takashi Miike. Miike's films range from the very weird and funny ("The Happiness of the Katakuris" and "Zebraman") to the gross and difficult to watch ("Iichi the Killer" and "Audition"). One thing his movies are not and that is normal! And, "Sukiyaki Western Django" is truly weird. So much of it makes no sense and it is something you just need to see to believe. It's a re-working of Akira Kurosawa's classic film "Yojimbo" but instead of being set in feudal Japan, it's in a weird crossover world--part Japanese and part western--and by 'western', I mean the American Old West!! And, oddly, all the characters speak English (often very BAD and heavily accented English). As for the look, some of it looks almost neon and the beginning is just freaky--with a classic Japanese print come to life--with the sun being supported by a rope! And, this introduction stars Quentin Tarantino! Weird....mega, mega-weird.The story is about a feud between two rival gangs who have taken over a town--the Heikes (red) and the Genjis (white). Both are evil and spend their time killing and raping folks. Now, a stranger in black arrives in town and you KNOW he'll get all Yojimbo on their behinds! While the idea of the film isn't necessarily bad, I was not impressed for two big reasons. First, the idea wore thin. Seeing Japanese/Western hybrid folks running about is cool...at first. Second, the film is just too nasty. I don't want to see rape scenes and all this Miike violence. So, I was not all that impressed and just found it wasn't my sort of film. Interesting but that just wasn't enough.

This film is everything that it promises to be, and in most cases it does a very good job. There is something familiar for all viewers, whether it be the "Fist Full of Dollars" references, or the "Django" references, or the Kurosawa inspired story. The script is weak at points, but it's a western, and writing a script for a crew that has one native English speaker (Quentin Tarantino) and having them pull it off as well as they did is a feat. I came out of the movie thinking that I could watch it again and like it. If you watched it and were disappointed, you probably watched it in the wrong mindset, it was a great ode to all men without names.

Sometimes a film presents itself to you as a character, whole in definition, with whom you have to deal. This is possible either because the film has a soul that the artist has created, or because the filmmaker borrows one by hijacking a genre. That is what Miike has done here. Though some of his other experiments sit well with me, this does not.Dealing with such a character is not a simple emotional (and sometimes intellectual) transaction. Sometimes it is a struggle, a contest where each party wants to pull the other into their own world. Even these than be worthwhile, but the chances go way down; motives get questioned, selves get examined when you have to struggle.I saw this together with 'Rango.' Same strategy, and even many of the same references. But as thin as Rango was, it presented a worthy character. Whether you choose to argue or even try to win is up to you. But at least you should choose your encounters wisely.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.