diff --git a/plugin/syntastic.vim b/plugin/syntastic.vim
index f9a2a1f2..79c200f2 100644
--- a/plugin/syntastic.vim
+++ b/plugin/syntastic.vim
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ if has('reltime')
     lockvar! g:_SYNTASTIC_START
 endif
 
-let g:_SYNTASTIC_VERSION = '3.5.0-72'
+let g:_SYNTASTIC_VERSION = '3.5.0-146'
 lockvar g:_SYNTASTIC_VERSION
 
 " Sanity checks {{{1
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/python/codec.py b/syntax_checkers/python/codec.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..6e980c7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syntax_checkers/python/codec.py
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+from __future__ import print_function
+from sys import argv, exit
+
+import codecs
+import re
+import os
+
+
+if len(argv) != 2:
+    exit(1)
+
+try:
+    with open(argv[1]) as fle:
+        text = fle.readlines()
+
+    if text:
+        match = re.match(r"#\s*coding\s*:\s*(?P<coding>\w+)", text[0])
+        if match:
+            text = codecs.lookup(match.groupdict()["coding"]).incrementaldecoder().decode(
+                ''.join(text).encode('utf-8')).encode('utf-8')
+
+    if isinstance(text, list):
+        text = ''.join(text).encode('utf-8')
+
+    compile(text, argv[1], 'exec', 0, 1)
+except SyntaxError as err:
+    print('%s:%s:%s: %s' % (err.filename, err.lineno, err.offset, err.msg))
+except Exception as err:
+    print('%s:%s:%s: %s' % (os.path.abspath(argv[1]), 1, 0, err))
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/python/python.vim b/syntax_checkers/python/python.vim
index 1ffc073e..6d0c11e6 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/python/python.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/python/python.vim
@@ -15,10 +15,14 @@ if exists("g:loaded_syntastic_python_python_checker")
 endif
 let g:loaded_syntastic_python_python_checker = 1
 
+if !exists('g:syntastic_python_python_use_codec')
+    let g:syntastic_python_python_use_codec = 0
+endif
+
 let s:save_cpo = &cpo
 set cpo&vim
 
-let s:compiler = expand('<sfile>:p:h', 1) . syntastic#util#Slash() . 'compile.py'
+let s:base_path = expand('<sfile>:p:h', 1) . syntastic#util#Slash()
 
 function! SyntaxCheckers_python_python_IsAvailable() dict
     if !executable(self.getExec())
@@ -32,7 +36,9 @@ function! SyntaxCheckers_python_python_IsAvailable() dict
 endfunction
 
 function! SyntaxCheckers_python_python_GetLocList() dict
-    let makeprg = self.makeprgBuild({ 'exe': [self.getExec(), s:compiler] })
+    let compiler = s:base_path . (g:syntastic_python_python_use_codec ? 'codec.py' : 'compile.py')
+    call self.log('using compiler script', compiler)
+    let makeprg = self.makeprgBuild({ 'exe': [self.getExec(), compiler] })
 
     let errorformat = '%E%f:%l:%c: %m'