The Good, The Bad, and The Weird (Ji-woon Kim ,2008): South Korea

Reviewed by Simona Rozhko. Viewed at the ArcLight, AFI FIlm Festival.

Jim -woon Kim’s film, The Good, The Bad, and the Weird, was a hilarious twist on a Hollywood approach to a western. Viewed at the an ArcLight theater at the AFI Film Festival, it was a late night showing and I still found myself laughing until the very end moments. This film has a great, vivid storyline with tricks up its sleeve throughout, using great energy and continued pull to amuse the audience.

The film begins in a fast moving train with colors, and sparkles, and textures that decorate the frame to ensure an upbeat setting. The camera is fast moving, yet does a spectacular job at catching the right moments of facial expression and body language, especially in the opening sequences when the three men meet on the train as they begin their journey to try and use the treasure map for themselves. Although violence is weaved in and out of the film, the three mens’ motives are the same and they verbally argue over who has the right to keep the document. They make funny jokes all throughout the film, especially the “weird” guy. His character doesn’t care what others think and he clumsily takes us through an expedition in which we must weigh the “good” guys versus the “bad” guys. But who is victorious in the end? That’s for you to decide.

The mise-en-scene is very important in the film as it enhances characteristics of the western world, yet touches it up with a Korean feel. It makes the frames seem playful, safe and inviting, and yet caution signs are posted all over the place by guns, blood, and other villains.

The Good, The Bad, and The Weird, has a genuine feel of a western film, in the same way Wild Wild West does, starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline. They take a serious subject matter and pave their way by finding a resolution with humor, excitement and devotion.

If you want to be entertained with all sorts of emotions flowing through you, locate this film and you’ll be in for a surprising ride just like the Koreans experience in this film. Two thumbs up!