The Good, the Bad, the Weird
Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom
South Korea
2008
120 Min
Color
2.35:1
Japanese, Mandarin, Korean
Synopsis
The 30ties in the Mandchurian desert. The Weird steals a map from a japanese official. The Bad is paid to get it back. The Good is a bounty hunter who tracks them down. In this unpredictable, escalating battle for the map and the men, who will stand in the end as the winner? —Cannes Film Festival
Director
Kim Ji-woon
Kim Jee-woon, born July 6, 1964, entered Seoul Institute of the Arts, but left school and worked in the theatre scene. He began his career as a stage actor, then stage director, and finally has become one of the most popular and acclaimed figures among modern Korean directors/screenwriters. His second screenplay, The Quiet Family (1998), won him the Best Screenplay prize in a local contest, and Kim went on to make his directorial debut with this screenplay. The film was invited to many film festivals. Kim’s films, from The Quiet Family (1998) to last year’s A Bittersweet Life, have been hailed by critics and audiences alike for his unique style and storytelling. His second feature, The Foul King (2000), drew more than 2 million spectators, while his astounding horror film of true visual elegance, A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), reached 3.5 million viewers nation-wide. It went on to be remade by Dreamworks in the US. —AsianMediaWiki
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Zachary George Najarian-Najafi
19May12
Continuing my budding obsession with South Korean cinema is this wonderful film here. Described by its director Jee-woon Kim as a “kimchi western,” The Good, the Bad, the Weirdlike the country of its origin is a spicy mix of various elements. It’s a western, a war film, a thriller, an absurd comedy, and even a bit of a kung-fu movie. The plot is minimal. Three guys are after a treasure map. There’s the crazy thief The Weird, the psychotic The Bad, and the stoic bounty hunter The Good. On top of that the Imperial Japanese Army and a gang of Manchurian bandits are after the map as well. Set in the vast deserts and crowded cities of 1930s Manchuria the film is a non-stop thrill ride. The action scenes are on-par with John Woo’s work; balletic and bloody, and the chase scene at the end involving horses, cannons, bandits and motorcycles evokes a sort of strange post-modern version of the climax of John Ford’s Stagecoach. This movie is ultimately a popcorn action flick, but I had a big grin on my mouth the entire time. It’s visually stunning, shot in glorious widescrin; the camera is dizzying and glides and zooms over and under everything. And I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a wonderful tribute to the late masters.
thedudeabides
13Apr12
Incredible fuckin' funny movie. Kim Jee-woon honors Sergio Leone with authenticity.
Zachary George Najarian-Najafi and Ryan A. Pearce like this
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The Good,The Bad,The Weird
By MarcusArcus on October 23, 2011
It’s amazing what Kim accomplished to do in this film.First of all,he made this a ton more entertaining than the original.This film runs just under 135 minutes.There was not a minute when I got bored… read review
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By Teddy Cheong on April 25, 2009
What I would deem a kimchi western, this is liberally inspired by Leone. From there, it takes it into all sorts of crazy directions with its mass lot of zany characters. Genre-bending of this sort… read review
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The Good The Bad and The Weird
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