Sukiyaki Western Django

Sukiyaki Western Django

2007

Directed by Takashi Miike

This is a very stylish film that is a mixture of Japanese samurai and western film genres. Miike pulls this off very successfully. The mixture of swords and guns looks spectacular and there are some great fight scenes that involve them both. The colors of the film are very saturated and alternate between the contrasts of deep red and bright whites. I did enjoy the film. Miike always presents the unexpected and this film was not a disappointment.

Rustin Allison

"Masters of Horror" - Imprint

"Masters of Horror"

Imprint

2006

Directed by Takashi Miike

This is the first episode of "Masters of Horror" that I have seen. Imprint was only released on DVD and never shown on television. After watching this episode, I now understand why. I won't go into any details about what is shocking in this story, but be forewarned - it is not for the faint of heart (or stomach).

Takashi Miike is such a fascinating director to me. His films seem to traverse all film genres. I have only seen a few of his films (my personal favorite is The Happiness of the Katakuris), but everyone that I have seen is so completely different to any film that I have seen before. It is very hard to watch a Miike film at its most brutal, but Miike can also make a funny comedy. I look forward to Yatterman.

So, even though Imprint did disgust me I did enjoy the episode. The story relies on an unreliable narrator and takes many twists to its end. The imagery shifts from haunting and beautiful to horrific and revolting in just a few minutes. 

Rustin Allison