| Language: Korean Director: Ji-woon Kim Running time: 137 min Release year: 2008 |
| Cast: Song Kang-Ho, Lee Byung-Hun, Jung Woo-Sung, Uhm Ji-Won, Lee cheong-A, Ryu Seung-Su, Ryu Chang-Suk |
Movie Review:
“The Good, The Bad, The Weird” is easily the most anticipated Korean movie of the year and, for once, the movie lives up to all the hype. The film has had some rough spots in its early production stages, losing investor/distributor Showbox during mid-production and encountering numerous delays after that. Even with these problems, the film features director Ji-woon Kim (The Quiet Family/The Foul King/A Tale of Two Sisters/A Bittersweet Life) and three of Korea’s most recognized acting names (Byung-hun Lee, Kang-ho Song, Woo-sung Jung) in the lead roles. It’s also an unique Asian Western film. Now that’s a lot to get excited about. |
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Set in Manchuria, China, during the 1930’s, a legendary map leading to priceless buried treasures is sold to the Japanese Army by an unscrupulous Korean criminal organization. The Korean crime gang then hires notorious killer Chang-yi Park (Byung-hun Lee) to steal back the map, so they can retrieve the buried treasures for themselves. Meanwhile, the Korean Independence Movement hires bounty hunter extraordinaire Do-won Park (Woo-sung Jung) to steal the map from the Japanese Army before killer Chang-yi Park is able to do so. Both of these men then descend upon a train traveling through the Manchurian desert to retake the legendary map.
A hitch is thrown in both of these men’s plan when train bandit Tae-gu Yun (Kang-ho Song) descends upon the train and takes the map while these two rivals fight among themselves. Now a race is on between killer Chang-yi Park and bounty hunter Do-won Park to find Tae-gu Yun, before he takes the buried treasures and disappears into the Manchurian dessert.
Holy Kimchi Western! “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” is the action picture of the year and provides the kind of popcorn entertainment not seen since Joon-ho Bong’s “The Host”. The film takes inspiration from the Spaghetti Westerns of yesteryears and incorporates that style into the backdrop of Manchuria, China circa 1930’s, a chaotic time not so dissimilar to the days of the wild west in America. The visuals are stunning, with colors as bright as a comic book and action sequences that are exhilarating. Some of the reasons for the action scenes having such a unique look lies with director Ji-woon Kim’s unique technique of incorporating wired cameramen following the actors as they ride & fly through the dessert.
The actors, especially Byung-hun Lee and Kang-ho Song, give the type of performances that stays in your head long after the end credits roll around. Although Woo-sung Jung’s ultra-cool persona may have been just too precise, Byung-hun Lee simply gives the most charismatic performance of his career & Kang-ho Song gives a performance that will make non-Koreans understand why he is so revered by Koreans.
Make note that Kim doesn’t hold back on the violence and the movie sheds enough blood to fill up two Asian horror films. I found the level perfectly acceptable and needed to keep the movie from straying too much into comic book land. While the script isn’t very deep, there’s enough depth to make the film work.
“The Good, The Bad, The Weird” offers fun & excitement on a level not found in many recent Korean films. Action fans will simply love the film, while most others will find there own different reasons to love the movie. For myself, what I gleamed from “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” is: 1.) director Ji-woon Kim is on par with Chan-wook Park & Joon-ho Bong 2.) Byung-hun Lee is way better than originally thought 3.) Kang-ho Song is the man! - can’t think of another Korean actor on his level right now. Check out “The Good, The Bad, The Weird,” for pure popcorn fun you’re going to be hard pressed to find a better movie. |
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| { Recommended Korean Movies } |
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The divine weapon (Singijeon) |
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Director: Yu-jin Kim; Cast: Jae-yeong Jeong, Eun-jeong Han, Jun-ho Heo, Sung-kee Ahn, Geon-sik Bae, Li-seong Do, Seong-mo Jeong |
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Lady Vengeance (Chinjeolhan Geumjassi) |
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Director: Park Chan-Wook; Cast: Yeong-ae Lee, Choi Min-Sik, Kwon Ye-Young |
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Breathless (Ddongpari) |
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Director: Yang Ik-Jun; Cast: Yang Ik-Jun, Kim Kkot-Bi, Jeong Man-Sik, Lee Hwan |
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Secret sunshine (Milyang) |
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Director: Lee Chang-Dong; Cast: Jeon Do-Yeon, Song Kang-Ho, Seon Jeong-Yeop |
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My dear enemy (Meotjin haru) |
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Director: Yoon-ki Lee; Cast: Jeon Do-Yeon, Ha Jung-Woo, Hye-ok Kim, Oh Ji-Eun |
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The host (Gwoemul) |
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Director: Joon-ho Bong; Cast: Kang-ho Song, Hie-bong Byeon, Hae-il Park, Doona Bae |
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The good, the bad, the weird (Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom) |
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Director: Ji-woon Kim; Cast: Kang-ho Song, Byung-hun Lee, Woo-sung Jung |
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