As a fan of Takashi Miike's work (I plan on buying every film he's ever done, which is over 70!) I was happily suprised to see this DVD hit mainstream. Miike's work is varied and very eclectic, ranging from sadistic ultra-gore (Audition, Ichi The Killer, Dead or Alive), to the downright strange (Gozu, Imprint, MPD Psycho), and even a few children's movies (The Great Yokai War), yet every film I've seen so far of his has been an absolute joy to watch!
Sukiyaki Western Django, being one of Miike's more tame films, still has cutting violence in it, yet he somehow makes it fit in seamlessly with the story (no random BLAH GUTS! moments for no apparent reason, as per American films). And of course, it has Miike's trademark dark humour laced throughout. Also, this film has a more solid ending than some other Miike films.
The acting is great, the film is beautifully shot, with awesome action sequences. The dialogue is sometimes hard to pick up, as it's all Asian actors speaking English, but subtitles are there if you're having trouble. I show this film to anyone who'll sit down with me and watch it, and so far, they've all LOVED it, even the skeptical ones.
If you've never heard of Takashi Miike, or you've seen one of his other films and didn't really like it, definitely give this one a shot. It's a great film to introduce you to Miike, without being over the top and confusing as some people find his other films to be.
I guess the only reason this film hit mainstream was because Quentin Tarantino (a big fan of Miike) appeared in it and had a lot to do with producing it, but to be honest, more of Takashi Miike's films deserve to be more accessible.