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

Reviewed by Emily Gray. Viewed at the AFI Film Festival, Hollywood.

Usually it takes a certain interest in foreign films to be able to enjoy a 2 hour long non-American movie, let alone be able sit through and read the subtitles. The Good, The Bad, and the Weird is an exception beyond all belief. A creative homage to Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood westerns, it is a spectacular array of color, excitement and characters. Even at a 10 pm screening during the AFI festival, the theater was packed and for good reason. You don’t have to be a fan of westerns or foreign films to like this film, only a fan of movies!

True to the formula of westerns, The Good, the Bad and The Weird begins with an appropriate double crossing and train robbery, introducing the characters. The Weird (Kang-Ho Song) travels down the cars of the train, on the hunt for something. As he passes from class to class each car is as colorful as the next. The teeming third class car is full with dirty passengers, geese and birdcages while the first class car is luxurious with beautiful women adorned in jewelry and silk robes. Unknown to the Weird, soon the train is joined by the Bad (Byung hun Lee) and his gang. Shooting from both parties ensues as they each look for the prized possession the movie revolves around: a treasure map. Soon the protagonist, the Good, (Woo-Sung Jung) appears on board to stop the other two. After a lot of shooting and chasing, the Weird escapes with the map into the dessert.

At first the plot is slightly confusing, who each character is and their motives are a mystery. A review from Eyeweekly.com states, “It’s baffling plot makes it hard to muddle through the increasingly outlandish set pieces.” Yet this film isn’t meant to have a very deep storyline or emotional attachment. It sets out what it’s meant to do and that is to entertain. And more information unravels beautifully as the movie progresses. It is surprisingly violent, with a shooting happening almost every scene, yet it never crosses the line or intends to be disturbing. A lot of blood is shed but not in the showing someone’s entrails fly across the scene kind of way that is often popular with action movies.

The talented actors were cast perfectly, especially Lee and Song. Lee gave a zealous performance as the Bad, making you love to hate him. The audience favorite had to be Song who had comedic timing down to an art. His facial expressions and aloofness had the audience roaring with laughter and even a couple of times caused them to break out in applause. The two are brilliant, outshining the bland but satisfactory performance by Jung. Perhaps it’s because Jung doesn’t fit the stereotypical American portrayal of the hero; he is very slim and does not have that rugged attractiveness that heroes usually do.

With the use of extravagant costumes and bright, saturated colors, the film is candy to your eyes. Production designer Hwa-Sung Cho did a magnificent job in giving a western a creative flair and lavishness. Adding to the bold fun was the original score by Dalparan and Chan Young-gyu. Straying from the traditional slows guitar rifts, the fast paced beats gave yet another new twist on the western genre. When each character appears onscreen, they each have their own score underlying their personalities. The Good’s theme is a slow and heroic played opposite by the intense, dark theme for The Bad. Contrasting both, was quirky theme for the Weird, playing up his goofy, humorous personality.

The Good, the Bad, The Weird is a rare gem; it’s a foreign film that can be enjoyed by many. It is impressive and entertaining. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be released into mainstream theaters, at least here in the United States. So, if you happen to stumble across it in a smaller movie house, seize the opportunity and see this truly fantastic film.