For so many years, Naoto Yamakawa is still not an household name amongst cinephiles and Japanese cinema lovers. All his films including his early shorts have become a separate genres. After making 3 incredible experimental shorts films with limited budget, Naoto Yamakawa made his first feature debut on a grand scale, thanks to Parco (department store chain) and record label Vap.
The film starts not quite cheerfully as President of the United States John Smith, in a radio address to the people, warns everyone of a Gang violence spreading death and terror across the world, in places like Leningrad, Tokyo, Paris. He addresses fellow Americans to be safe as the proclamation comes to end, and enter a Young cowboy (introduced as Billy New Kid 21), all this while taking a stroll in the Valley, but all to the imagination of a Photo frame behind him in a Bar Slaughterhouse. Billy the Kid (Hiroshi Mikami) settles down, takes a look at a wanted poster with his drawing on the wall and enquires for a job with the barman (Renji Ishibashi). There are men are sitting in the bar and suddenly there's bullets everywhere. What follows next is a cheerful western with great music as Yamakawa within the walls of the bar house turns everything into absurd skirmishes, character encounters of all age, a love interest, multifaceted, divided into flashbacks, comic sketches, duels, satire of Seven Samurai, references to Pop cultures, a live Piano dance and a good finale as Billy returns to the valley.
Yamakawa focus on the situations with a rather amusing (often absurd) narrative is brilliant, there is no hurry for action as the film mainly takes place in one setting, but despite this, it looks very bright and lively. It entertains and lets you enjoy the absurd plot, characters but it is imbued with great soundtrack that plunges headlong during the runtime.
