Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 4, 2020

If there were ever two cinematic peas in a pod, it would be harder to find a more provocative pair than Quentin Tarantino and Takashi Miike. Now in this particular instance the pea pod would probably be blood soaked as it’s being sliced and diced into little bits by a katana wielding martial artist, but you still get the idea. And in fact if you are a fan of either Tarantino or Miike but not especially well versed in the work of the other, you might have at least a general idea of what some of their movies might be like by sampling any given title by the other one of them. In the case of Miike perhaps more than Tarantino, though, that might be fool’s errand of sorts since Miike seems to delight in defying expectations and throwing “genre conventions” to the wind, at times even more than Tarantino can. That said, Sukyaki Western Django may remind many Tarantino fans of any number of Tarantino entries, at least in passing, and Quentin himself is on hand as an on screen performer. MVD Visual’s MVD Marquee imprint has brought out a new Collector’s Edition of this title that offers both versions of the film as well as some other supplements.

Sukiyaki Western Django had a previous release on Blu-ray way back in 2008 at the dawn of the format. Those interested in a plot recap are encouraged to read Martin Liebman's Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray review of that release put out by First Look Studios. Marty's review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons. We listed supplements a bit differently back then, but if I'm understanding Marty's comments correctly, the two main supplements included with that release are ported over to this one, along with a few others. This release also offers both versions of the film, though kind of hilariously the redacted version released outside of Japan is listed as the "Original Cut", while the real original version that Miike first screened in Japan is listed as the "Extended Cut". All of this said, you'll note this is just the latest example of what I've repeatedly called "different reviewers, different opinions", since I evidently like Sukiyaki Western Django considerably more than Marty did, though I am not immune to some of the excesses of the film, some of which Marty details in his review.

Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sukiyaki Western Django is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Marquee Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, and FilmRise with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1 for both the so-called "original" cut and "extended" cut. Marty gave top notch marks to the now long ago first Blu-ray release, and while I have no information on whether this is culled from any new remastering or restoration, based on both screenshots and a revisiting of that first release (which was in my collection), my feeling is this has a more vividly suffused palette, while also looking just a tad darker than the first release. Detail levels are typically surprisingly excellent despite the obvious image tweaking Miike repeatedly employs, some of which is also detailed by Marty in his review of the first Blu-ray release. Even in the oddly skewed moments (which are frequent), reds, greens and yellows in particular can virtually burst from the screen at times. Grain can be variable at times, some of which is due to that intentional tweaking, but I noticed no resolution issues of any kind. I also noticed no quality differentiations per se between the "original" and "extended" cuts (screenshots 1 through 15 are from the "original" cut, and screenshots 16 through 19 are from the "extended" cut), though the color timing occasionally looked just a bit different.

Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The "original" cut of Sukiyaki Western Django features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 mixes in English, with optional English or Spanish subtitles. The "extended" cut of Sukiyaki Western Django features a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English, with only Japanese subtitles available. While the downgrade from lossless to lossy audio in the "extended" cut will no doubt be a disappointment for some (many?), the absence of English subtitles for that version may also be a stumbling block, as some of the accents in this film can be quite heavy. All of this said, the two lossless tracks on the "original" cut are extremely boisterous, though the surround track certainly makes good use of the side and rear channels for the glut of often goofy sound effects Miike employs, like the whooshing of the snake dropping into Piringo's hand in the film opening sequence. Surround activity in the 5.1 track is nicely consistent throughout the presentation, and despite a sometimes noisy sound design, prioritization is typically excellent as well. There's a definite lack of midrange and especially low end in the Dolby Digital 5.1 track accompanying the "extended" version, but it may admittedly be most obvious only if you've just come from the lossless surround track on the "original" version.

Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Cut (1080p; 1:38:43) and Extended Cut (1080p; 2:00:19) are accessible from the Main Menu.


• Extras leads to a submenu with the following choices:

  Deleted Scenes (480i; 6:37)

  
  

  Making Of (480i; 52:40) is a good overview of the production, with a ton of behind the scenes footage and some fun candid stuff with Miike. In Japanese with English subtitles.

  
  

  Sizzle Reel (480i; 3:12) is basically an extended trailer of sorts, with some quotes by other famous directors lauding Miike's work.

  
  

  Promotional Clips (480i; 2:58)

  
  

  US and Japanese Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots (480i; 4:51)

• Trailers includes Sukiyaki Western Django (480i; 1:59) along with trailers for other releases from MVD.

Sukiyaki Western Django Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Maybe because I've had to review my fair share of Takashi Miike films through the years, I may have built up a certain "tolerance" for his hyperbolic stylistic conceits, though that said, Sukiyaki Western Django was among the earlier Miike films I ever actually watched, and I enjoyed it from the get go, which may indicate a certain preponderance toward those very hyperbolic stylistic conceits in any case. This is a completely peculiar yet familiar enterprise, and even if the story is almost intentionally rote, Miike invests the film with such a barrage of unforgettable imagery that it's hard not to be entranced, if occasionally disturbed, by it all. Fans of this film should certainly be excited about getting both versions, especially with both looking so generally great. That said, the Extended Cut only features lossy audio and no English subtitles. Recommended.