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The Good, The Bad, The Weird Review

Posted by The Olivier Brothers on Feb 6, 2009 in Asian UnderGround, Reviews, Spotlight, Theatrical | Comments Off

Plot

In Kim Ji-Woon’s spaghetti western homage, a petty thief who has a map to a buried treasure is pursued by a hired killer. The hired killer is in turn pursued by a bounty hunter.

Thoughts on the film

Ryan

Kim Ji-Woon does it again with The Good, The Bad, The Weird, his excellent follow up to his equally excellent previous film A Bittersweet Life. Kim goes all out with this one. This baby has everything, Spaghetti western homage, stand offs, swordplay, wirework, comedy, and a excellent soundtrack. All which Kim uses to perfection. The cinematography here is great as well, from the beautiful wide shots of the desert to the extreme close ups on eyes right before a showdown. Acting wise you couldn’t have asked for a better cast. Lee Byung-Hun, who previously worked with Kim Ji-Woon on A Bittersweet Life plays it wickedly evil and cool as The Bad. Jung Sung-Woo plays it cool and calm as The Good. Then we have Song Kang-Ho who as always is pitch perfect and steals the show as The Weird. It’s easy to tell that all three leads are having a blast in their roles, which for me, made it a blast to watch. I also loved all the homage to my two favorite spaghetti western directors Sergio Leone, and Sergio Corbucci. In 2007, Takashi Miike made his great spaghetti western homage/ prequel/ remake called Sukiyaki Western Django. Anyone who loved Sukiyaki Western Django as much as I did, should do themselves a favor and check out The Good, The Bad, The Weird , as soon as possible. In my opinion Kim Ji-Woon made a superior film. Kim Ji-Woon is in my opinion one of the best directors working today. Excellent writing, directing, top notch acting, and expertly coreographed action, make The Good, The Bad ,The Weird  a masterpiece in my book. It’s easily my favorite film of 2008.

Mark

Kim Ji-Woon has developed quite a resume over the years. Being one of South Korea’s most original minds in the movie business, it’s hard not to expect a top notch film from him every single time. A Tale of Two Sisters was a absolutely fantastic horror tale. While, A Bittersweet Life, still resides as this reviewer’s favorite gangster film of all time. In my opinion, A Bittersweet Life is a classic of the gangster genre and is as good as it gets. Kim Ji-Woon had quite the task of making a follow-up film that would even stand toe to toe with A Bittersweet Life. Ironically, not only does The Good, The Bad, The Weird match wits with A Bittersweet Life, it actually surpasses it. Once again, Kim Ji-Woon proves that he is a force to be reckoned with, cementing his place along side renowned film-makers like Scorsese, Lumet, and Coppola. To be quite honest and frank, The Good, The Bad, The Weird, is a perfect film. Mixing the right amount of wit, action, and comedy, Kim Ji-Woon has made a genre classic. A movie that Sergio Leone would be very proud of. I loved every single moment of this spaghetti western tribute, so much, that I didn’t want it to end. Everything about the movie came together as a whole. The cinematography is fantastic. The direction from Kim Ji-Woon is top notch. The acting is superb. Which is to be expected when you have the likes of Jung Woo-Sung, Lee Byung-Hun, and Song Kang-Ho all in the same film. Each actor brings their character quite literally to life. But, the most praise, must be paid to Kim Ji-Woon, who pulled out all his bag of tricks for this one film. This movie really is a masterpiece of modern cinema. Because, it has one thing many other films don’t have,….. heart. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is the must see movie of the year, and if I could describe it in one word, that word would be:  Perfect.
Ryan

Rating: ★★★★★

Mark

Rating: ★★★★★

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