when one think of the cowboy western name like john ford and sam peckinpah and howard hawk and john huston might come to mind but japanese new wave and cult director miike takashi would probably be the last person you would think of be on that list and that be until now . with his recent sukiyaki western django miike pay love tribute to the western genre and infuse it with his own unique spin and a decidedly japanese flair . set in what appear to be a dusty post apocalyptic wasteland and the story deal with a bitter rivalry between two vicious clan the brutal heike ( whose color emblem be a bloody scarlet red ) and the flashy genji ( whose banner be a snow colored white ) . they have take over a remote mountain village in a region oddly call nevada ( use japanese kanji equivalent ) . both faction have learn of a mythic gold depository in the surround area and have tear the village apart to find it but to no avail . the local inhabitant have long since flee and those that have stay behind have be live in terror ever since . a mysterious gun fighter with no name ( ito hideaki ) rid into town and offer his service to the clan who offer to pay him the most . while both clan make tempting bid and the gun fighter reject both offer and be instead sway to hold off join either faction by the town salon madam and ruriko ( momoi kaori ) . ruriko tell the stranger of how the town be take over by the clan and how her son and akira be kill by them . akira be a former heike clan member who have fall in love with the beautiful shizuka ( yoshino kimura ) and a member of the rival clan . they have hop that their union would help encourage peace between the two clan but instead akira be murder by the heike ruthless leader kiyomori ( sato koichi ) . devasted she return to her clan with her young child heihachi and where she be force to become a harlot to the clan charismatic and mercurial leader yoshitsune . a the conflict come to an impasse both side scheme at how to gain the upper hand . kiyomori tell his clansman that it be divine destiny that they will win the conflict and site shakespeare henry vi and the english conflict of the war of the rose ( where the red side win ) a his bible . he be so sure of this that he adopt the name henry . on the genji side and yoshitsune have find the location of a hidden cache of weapon include a functioning gatling gun which he hop will give his clan the advantage . he send his chief henchman and benkei ( ishibashi takaaki ) to retrieve the weapon . the gun fighter learns of this plan from shizuka and relay the information to the heike clan . for her betrayal shizuka be brutally murder by the genji clan and the gun fighter be severely injured . nurse back to health the gun fighter team up with ruriko and who reveal herself to be the legendary gun fighter b. b. who be a protégé of one of the first western gunman in japan and bingo ( cameo by quentin tarantino ) to destroy the clan and bring peace to the town . miike and screenwriter naka ( masa ) mura borrow liberally from other western particularly the landmark italiano western of sergio leone ( fist full of dollar and the good and the bad and the ugly ) and sergio corbucci ( django ) as well a the so called acid western of alejandro jodorowsky ( el topo ) but add in his own unique aspect and new wave flourish to create a japanese version of the classic western albeit with a decidedly japanese look and feel . the name be both a play on spaghetti ( italian ) western and an anecdote where sukiyaki ( japanese nabemono or stew ) combine various element in a pot . much have be say of miike decision to script the dialog entirely in english but i think the cast should be commend for actually pull off what might have turn into a comical disaster . it also help that miike have the good fortune of hire actor who have either live or study extensively abroad . ito hideaki ( crossfire and limit of love umizaru ) play the titular clint eastwood role a the man with no name or gun fighter . his performance be good but one note a he doesn not really have much range and his line be minimal . sato koichi ( cheerful gang turn the earth and tennen kokekko ) be pure evil a taira no kiyomori who fancy himself after shakespeare henry vi . his performance bring to mind mifune toshiro kikuchiyo in seven samurai ( manic and bestial and and cocksure of himself ) . fashion model turn actor iseya yusuke ( casshern and memory of matsuko ) turn in another fantastic performance a the vicious yet wickedly handsome minamoto no yoshitsune and a man who fancy himself a the embodiment of the japanese samurai spirit . iseya be quickly make a name for himself play quirky role and whose intensity and presence reminds me a lot of the late heath ledger . london born yoshino kimura ( sakuran and the backdancers ) bring much passion and dignity and raw sexuality to her part a the tragic shizuka . momoi kaori ( bounce no ko gal and memoir of a geisha ) and who be also educate in london and be clearly at home with the english dialog and turn in a terrific performance a ruriko . ishibashi takaaki ( one half of 80 comedy duo tunnel ) steal the spotlight a yoshitsune sexually ambiguous henchman a do kagawa teruyuki ( hero and tokyo . sora ) a the cowardly and opportunistic sheriff who seem almost possess at time . follow the heals of great modern western theme movie and remake of late like no country for old men and 3 represent10 to yuma and miike sukiyaki western django be a fun and unique take on the western and a it name suggest offer a clever take with a japanese bent . like trendy asian fusion cuisine and sukiyaki take the best of both world and offer up something new yet oddly familiar . bon appetite .