The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)

Movie: The Good The Bad The Weird (15): Action - KoreanPositives:All the three protagonists stand out in their respective performances, with Song Kang-ho performing the best.The film has many excellently choreographed, well shot and surprisingly executed action sequences which are bound to impress. Undoubtedly, they are the main highlight of the film.The film makes good usage of humour in certain places, particularly in the second half.The cinematography is really excellent and increases the visual grandeur of the film.The climax is thrilling and the ending is superb! The story, screenplay and editing are all excellent and top notch. The second half is full of endless entertainment and it keeps getting bigger and better in and with every frame.A lot more, can't just sum it up in words. Watch it to see yourself.Negatives:Well, not really any!Repeat value: Definitely, a big YES!With THE GOOD THE BAD THE WEIRD, Kim Jee-woon once again proves why he's the master of genres and why his films are meant to be seen more than once. It's the best South Korean action film I've seen till date!

This is the kind of movie that brings up tension and releases it only in the end. The weird is the character i liked the most because he adds more of a funny part in the movie being yet a serious character. This movie really surprised me: i usually don't like western movies, but this is totally different. I haven't seen the good, the bad and the ugly yet, but i know they have some themes in common. I really liked the fact that you tend to be in the point of view of the weird making it difficult to see the good really as a good character. I recommend this movie to everyone that wants to enjoy some hours of adrenaline and plot twists!

A western from the eastern side of the world, The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a slick, stylish & rousing adventure of gunshots, violence & vengeance from director Kim Ji-woon (A Bittersweet Life & I Saw the Devil) and, as perceivable from its name, is hugely inspired from Sergio Leone's spaghetti western classic, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly but pays homage to not just that film but Leone's entire Dollars trilogy & Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark as well.Set in Manchuria at the time of World War II, this South Korean western tells the story of three gunslingers whose paths cross each other in pursuit of a treasure map. The Good is a bounty hunter who's hired by the Chinese rebels to possess the map. The Bad is a ruthless bandit who's also looking for the map. And the weird is a robber who gets to the map first without knowing its significance, thus bringing unwanted attention from the other two as well as Japanese army & Manchurian bandits.Honestly, this film surprised me greatly. I'm a big fan of how Leone masterfully redefined the western genre with his take on the Wild West and the source of this film's inspiration ranks amongst my top 5 favourite films of all time, so the bar was raised pretty high but this film still manages to effortlessly exceed it. What Kim Ji-woon has done here is an absolute treat to watch. Engaging from its opening moments, the film boasts quality action at short intervals throughout its runtime & is entirely encapsulated with rib-tickling humour, thus making it a roller-coaster ride of emotions & entertainment which culminates with an unexpected twist in the end.Written with clear imagination with an original plot build over an adapted story, the narration feels very smooth with not a single moment of dullness, the cinematography brings a nostalgic feeling of its genre by wonderfully capturing the desert wilderness, editing is near-perfect, the music is another milestone and the performances by the trio is simply brilliant, with Song Kang-ho & Lee Byung-hun turning out to be best as the Weird Yoon Tae-goo & the Bad Park Chang-yi, respectively. While Kang-ho provides the maximum comic relief, Byung-hun puts up one of the most stylish villains on-screen in a long time & stole every moment he appeared in.On an overall scale & in my opinion, there hasn't been a western as amazing, exciting & entertaining as this in the 21st century at least and I have no shadow of a doubt in admitting that The Good, the Bad, the Weird is not only the finest western of the past decade but also one of the greatest films of its genre. Every moment of homage is treated with respect, every moment of action is inventive & intense and every sequence feels fresh, re-imagined & brimming with expert use of humour. One of the best films of its year, Kim Ji-woon's salute to spaghetti western classics is destined to bring smile, joy & laughter on the faces of fans of its genre. In short, Sergio Leone would've been proud.Full review at: cinemaclown.wordpress.com

This is one of my all time favourite films. I was walking around the London underground and saw the posters for this film and new it was going to be good. I have always said that Korea produces some of the greatest films to come out of the east and this film just goes to prove me right. The new setting for the classic story is perfect and I loved all the characters. The three stars all put in great performances the Good has the perfect look for a Korean Cowboy but the show is definitely stolen by Kang Ho Song. The cinematography in this film is just astounding. The action is slick and pleasing to the eye and contrasts perfectly with the humour and tone of the film. The sets are delightful and the pacing and story telling is packaged so well that I think this film will be appreciated by fans of Spaghetti westerns and Asian cinema alike.