It's nothing new, genre-bending. Some of the better examples might be movies like THE FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE, an Italian western with a Chinese star (Chen Lee) that may or may not have been inspired by the then-current American teleseries, KUNG FU. More recent fare would include the likes of SHANGHAI NOON, with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, and the Thai movie that most closely resembles SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, TEARS OF THE BLACK TIGER. SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO, while it boasts some incredible production values (from the town itself to the pyrotechnics to some absolutely beautiful cinematography), suffers badly when it comes to story (YOJIMBO has been emulated so many times over the years that it must be tied with MOST DANGEROUS GAME by now) and character (it's impossible to pull for the hero because he's rarely little more than a bit player; we never get to know him to the degree that we do, say, Toshiro Mifune in YOJIMBO and SANJURO). Miike is at his best in terms of direction; that's what makes this one worth seeing.
Review of Sukiyaki Western Django
