I had the pleasure to see Takashi Miike’s latest film - Sukiyaki Western Django - last night.

The film is Takashi Miike’s attempt at creating a Japanese-style Western - mixing six-shooters, whorehouses and cowboy hats with samurai swords, temple gates and kimono. Its title is an obvious nod to the ’spaghetti western’ genre.

True to form, it is a very strange film.

And ultimately, this is where the film both fails and succeeds. The unique setting is spectacularly realised, it’s a great credit to the production team that the old-west blends perfectly with old Japan. Had we been closer to Oscar season, I’d say Django would be a shoe-in for costume design.

It is this well-realised uniqueness that at times carries the film through slower moments. The plot of the film is a patchwork of well-trodden Western plots, and were it not for the Japanese twist, it would undoubtedly feel overly familiar.

And yet, being a Miike film, sometimes it gets a little too weird - for no discernible reason. There are a few scenes in the film which will leave you open-mouthed, scratching your head or wide-eyed, trying to process the events on screen. These don’t really add anything to the film, save to heighten its unique flavour (which isn’t particularly necessary, given the sword wielding cowboys and so on).

So, that is Sukiyaki Western Django. In terms of plot and characterisation, it’s as familiar as it comes. In terms of execution, it’s another one-of-a-kind from Miike.