Review: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD

The western film is nearly a forgotten genre, fading into history. On occasion, a filmmaker with a rare appreciation of this dwindling favorite will add their own deposit into the western vault, and these are often films that honor the genre’s golden past. THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD does just that, but does it with an incredible amount of high-octane energy.

Co-written and directed by Ji-woon Kim (A TALE OF TWO SISTERS), THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD is far from short on influence from other films and filmmakers. Clearly, Kim’s movie is influenced by the spaghetti westerns of the two Sergio’s, Leone and Corbucci. That’s evident in the title, but there’s also a free-spirited lawlessness that permeates the style and the story that harkens back to the post John Wayne days of Italian-made westerns.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD as a title, also refers to the three main characters. “The Good” is Park Do-won (played by Woo-sung Jung), the Kevin Costner/Wyatt Earp type of long coat wearing gunslinger that prefers the rifle to the pistol and whose driven by a “good” motivation to track down and kill bad men. “The Bad” is Park Chang-yi (played by Byung-hun Lee), the suit-wearing egotistical gunslinger for hire, driven by his desire to be the best, seeking out to challenge anyone claiming otherwise. “The Weird” is Yoon Tae-goo (played by Kang-ho Song), a slightly chubby hapless thief, prone to accidental luck, driven by his search for what’s at the end of a highly coveted treasure map.

The story takes place in 1940’s Manchuria, China, a desolate desert region where outlaws, thieves and gunslingers thrive. Korea has been seized by Japan, whose army is now in Manchuria seeking the very map that “The Weird” unwittingly stole from a train at the beginning of the film. The movie has everything you’d imagine from a western and so much more that you wouldn’t, including swords and battle axes, German Lugers, motorcycles and deep sea diving helmets. Don’t ask… you just gotta see for yourself.

While the plot sounds involved at a glance, the film actually is rather light on plot and backstory. However, what it lacks is depth it makes up for in spades with plenty of action-packed scenes a pure, unadulterated fun. THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD is 2 hours and 10 minutes of non-stop popcorn-munching good times. To put it simply, it’s a130 minute shoot’em up, over-the-top chase scene.

Speaking of such, this Korean film may likely garner the same favored fan status as 2007’s SHOOT ‘EM UP starring Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti. That’s the kind of violent, comical action viewers can expect from this movie. Likewise, the film also draws from non-western sources, namely filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, combining creatively selected musical accompaniments and in-your-face, visually descriptive cinematography. Kim takes the general premise of the spaghetti western and injects it with an overdose of super-adrenalin.

As much action as there is in the first half to two-thirds of THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD, this all just leads into the final 45 minutes of the film, which should pop your eyes right out of your head. Sure, its outrageous and beyond believable, but this extended final chase involving all three of the title character s as well as rival gangs and the Japanese army is pretty darn cool!

After having enjoyed the leading action and picking your jaw up after the climactic 45-minute final chase extravaganza, the audience is then treated to the final showdown between certain characters with an added twist that is neither absurd nor predictable. Be prepared for lots.., and I do mean LOTS of gunfire in this movie, from beginning to end. I dare you to count how many shots are fired, but not during your first viewing, because you won’t be able to enjoy the film.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD is not a film for everyone, but the trailers and even the posters and the title ought to make that clear. However, for those who don’t mind cinematic violence and especially those who embrace it, this is a movie that will definitely entertain audiences on a purely superficial level. Enter the theater without expectations and enjoy the flick for what it is, without trying to read anything into it and satisfaction is damn near guaranteed.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5