The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)

 

Director: Kim Jee-woon
Actors:Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung
Genre:Western, Action, Adventure
Similar Titles:
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0901487/
Objective Rating: 4.5/5
Personal Rating: 5/5

"The Good, the Bad, the Weird" is, as odd as it may sound, a South Korean western. As the name implies it is a remake (a very loose remake) of Sergio Leone's western epic, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". Like the original, this movie tells the story of three men searching for a buried treasure. That's just about the only major similarity. You're probably wondering how a Korean western works? Let me try to explain. The original takes place during the Civil War, this version happens during WWII. Since the early 1900s Korea had been part of the Japanese Empire. It wasn't until after WWII ended that Korea gained Independence and was split into Communist North and Democratic South. The events of the film actually take place in Korea's neighboring country Manchuria; also part of the Japanese Empire. Manchuria has the desert terrain that one needs for a western. So, "The Bad", instead of being with the Union Army, is with the Japanese army.

South Korean films are the probably the most unknown and under-appreciated films out there today. Granted, Korean cinema has only recently taken off; the last 15 years or so. "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" is one of the best. It also happens to be one of my personal favorites. It has cool, fun, exciting action sequences. It has plenty of a sort of neo-slapstick(I'm pretty sure I just made that up) comedy. It's a oddly quirky, one-of-a-kind film.