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Song Kang-ho, Byung-hun Lee, Woo-sung Jung, Seung-su Ryu, Qi Zhang ... see more see more... , Yoon Jae-Moon , Son Byeong-ho , Song Yeong-chang , Kim Gwang-il , Ma Dong Suk , Ryu Chang-Suk , Lee Chung-Ah

As the Korean peninsula falls into the hands of Japanese imperialists and countless Koreans seek refuge in the vast wilderness of Manchuria, a determined thief, a cold-blooded hitman, and a mysterious... read more read more... bounty hunter all vie for an elusive map that could lead them to a buried treasure from the Qing Dynasty. Tae-gu is "The Weird," a thief who comes into possession of the sought-after map while boldly robbing a train of Japanese military officers. But at the very same time Tae-gu attacks the train, relentless assassin Chang-yi and his violent gang of bandits beset the locomotive as well. Chang-yi is "The Bad," and he'll kill anyone who tries to come between him and the untold treasures of the Qing Dynasty. Just as the cloud of gunpowder begins to clear, a shadowy stranger suddenly appears and rescues Tae-gu from certain death. That stranger is Do-won, "The Good." Do-won has been chasing Tae-gu in hopes that he can capture him and collect the reward money. Now, as these three resolute strangers converge in a sprawling landscape that none of them can truly call home, they quickly discover that Korean resistance fighters, resilient mountain bandits, and the Japanese army also covet the prized map. The fight on the train is only the beginning, too, because when the stakes are this high the action is bound to get bloody. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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81% liked it

13,016 ratings

Critics

84% liked it

63 critics

R, 2 hr. 7 min.

Directed by: Ji-woon Kim

Release Date: April 23, 2010

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DVD Release Date: August 17, 2010

Stats: 1,371 reviews

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Film Poster Byung-Hun Lee, Kang-ho Song, and Woo-sung Jung The Good, the Bad, and the Weird The Good, the Bad, and the Weird Byung-Hun Lee as the Bad The Good, the Bad, and the Weird The Good, the Bad, and the Weird Man-gil And Yoon Tae-goo/ The Weird Park Chang-yi/The Bad Park Do-won/The Good
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Flixster Reviews (1,371)

  • fb1463751009
    March 18, 2012
    fb1463751009
    A spaghetti western with Koreans?!?!? Hey, it works!

    Frenetic action, marvelous set-pieces coupled with quirky humor, and some of the most creative camerawork to grace an action movie makes "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird" an absolute marvel to watch. When the action dies down... read more, the movie continues to offer a surprisingly entertaining, albeit simplistic narrative that involves all its characters to be singularly focused on one goal: the map. It works but it simply isn't as memorable as it should be -- especially the last action set-piece; it was surprisingly boring with really sloppy action compared to the rest of the spectacular ensemble set-pieces.

    When all's said and done, "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird" may have some stand-out camera-workings paired with some inventive and adrenaline-pumping in-your-face action, but it hardly manages to be a memorable movie.
  • paulkoh110
    February 29, 2012
    paulkoh110
    Its very stylistic and lets the story be both funny and serious! Its a great achievement in Korean Cinema and proves that they can make a great western just like americans!
  • ironclad1609
    September 4, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Let's be honest: the idea of setting up a western scenario in the desert of Manchuria is pretty cool. The references to Eastwood's classic spaghetti western are obvious and plenty, but the film still manages to set up its own atmosphere with the typical Asian over the top acting,... read more odd dialogues and colorful sets. The latter are the films biggest assets. It just feels real when people are thrown through walls, windows or roofs of real sets. The editing stays surprisingly reasonable, preferring long shots of actual stunts over hectic editing or CGI effects. That's refreshing and fun to watch, even if some of the action scenes do get repetitive rather quickly. The problem lies in the scenes between the action, which drag on quite a bit sometimes. The movie does feel too long all around and never manages to make you care for anything you witness. The result leaves you oddly unsatisfied in the end, even if the cinematography and action choreography remain memorable.
  • bbcfloridabound
    May 1, 2011
    bbcfloridabound
    A Korean Spaghetti Western? You betch ya, and an excellent one at that. Its all about the map, what map you ask ? The one everyone is after. Many unforgettable Characters in this movie. Full of action and also great comedy. You will not turn away from this one. What dies the map ... read morelead to, ah an ending I will not give away. Even friends will enjoy this one and say where did you get that. 4 Stars.
  • LWOODS04
    January 25, 2011
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Kang-ho Song, Byung-hun Lee, Woo-sung Jung, Ji-mun Hyun, Seong-su Ryu, Young-chang Song, Byung-ho Son, Dal-su Oh, Ji-won Uhm

    Director: Ji-woon Kim

    Summary: On a train crossing the Manchurian desert, an unlikely trio -- good bounty hunter Park Do-won (Woo-sung Jung),... read more bad gangster Park Chang-yi (Byung-hun Lee) and weird train robber Yoon Tae-goo (Kang-ho Song) -- unite to find a treasure map's promised loot. Racing through the unforgiving landscape, they stay one step ahead of rivals and the Japanese army.

    My Thoughts: "This film has a bit of everything in it from comedy, action, adventure, and just a bit of suspense. It's a fun western. I am not huge on western type films, but this one was worth the watch. It was funny, and had a lot of great shoot outs, and the character's were great. 'The Weird', was my favorite. The film is all about the chase, and has one of the longest chase scenes I think I've ever seen in a film. The action starts right in the beginning of the film and never lets up. The only downfall of the film really for me was some parts really dragged. Like the chase scene, it seemed like it would never end. The acting and story is solid. It was a good flick and worth the watch, especially if your a fan of action films."
  • itsjustme2004
    December 6, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    Great effects and lush production quality go a long way to give this film a boost to 'gotta see it'. You won't find another film like this one anywhere. But about 3/4 of the way through the film, the 'chase for the map' becomes tiring, and endless shootouts where only the bad guy... read mores get hit, make you realize the script is pretty limited and the plot has been stretched pretty thin. By the final shootout, you really don't care. Nevertheless, watch it for all the other good qualities of the film.
  • DrZeek
    October 11, 2010
    DrZeek
    Man-gil: The bounty on your head is 300 won.
    Yoon Tae-goo: What? I'm only worth a piano?
    Man-gil: A used one at that.

    A kick ass Korean Spaghetti Western. Regardless of what country this film originates from, it is easily one of the most enjoyable, mindless action films I have ... read moreseen in years. I want other action films to do what the cameras do in this film. The action is so much fun and awesome to watch. The story is simple, taking cues from Sergio Leone and the Mad Max films, as we follow a few characters in pursuit of great reward. But really, this film boils down to going over-the-top with stylized action in a western-type setting.

    Three Korean gunslingers are in Manchuria circa World War II: Do-wan, a bounty hunter, Chang-yi, ruthless killer, and Tae-goo, a train robber with nine lives. Tae-goo finds a map he's convinced leads to buried treasure; Chang-yi wants it as well for less clear reasons. Do-wan tracks the map knowing it will bring him to Chang-yi and Tae-goo for reward money. Spanning the country with various gangs and army units after them, the trio all do what they can to reach the treasure, with plenty of shootouts and chases along the way.

    I just can't emphasize enough how much fun this movie is. It doesn't take itself seriously, it just has a lot of fun with it's premise. It pays obvious tribute to the movies it has been influenced by, while creating a number of ingenious situations for our characters to get into. This falls into the realms of movies like Kung Fu Hustle in terms of sheer action comic joy for me.

    The direction by Ji-woon Kim is solid. The cinematography and editing are fantastic. Observe some of the great long shots exhibited, and the ways the action remains incredibly dynamic throughout. I want him to make more action movies and I want other directors to take notes on this man's work. I understand that he has clearly been influenced by others himself, but this is still fine work to behold.

    Staying true to the theme spaghetti westerns, this film has an incredibly simple story and easily defined characters, yet it goes on for a little over two hours. Despite having a solid pace to it, the film is certainly stretched out to re-create the old school feel, while bringing in several virtuoso action sequences.

    I could really just keep praising this film for it's action. It's a lot of fun and a very easy way to spend a couple care free hours.

    Park Do-won: Even if a man has no country, he's still got to have money.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    August 15, 2010
    MidnightMadwoman
    It's a little hard to discern the nature of this movie apart from the craziness. I have no idea when it's supposed to take place; the costumes are from all over the place. The only one who looks like he belongs in a Western is Do-Won (or "The Good"). Everyone else is riding horse... read mores (and trains and motorcycles and whatnot) wearing suits, aviator hats, Mongol horde getups or bright purple with fur(?). I wish I knew Asian history a little better, because Korean-Japanese-Chinese relations in Manchuria seem to be vital to understanding why that area is considered Asia's wild west. The treasure map plotline was an interesting twist, but I never had a really good grasp on who had it any given time. Characters were double-crossing each other left and right, but the story never let me catch my bearings long enough to work out everyone's motivations. It also took me a little while to sort through who was "Good" and who was "Bad", since both guys seemed like skilled and accomplished gunmen. Weird on the other hand was plenty obvious. The gunfights got a little bit tedious, and there was a reveal toward the end that completely came out of left field and once again confounded the roles of the title. I really liked Chang-Yi and Do-Won though, and was really happy to see thier final confrontation. And Lee Byung-Hun? Yummy.
  • mmckellop
    July 14, 2010
    mmckellop
    Woody Allen made his best movies by showing the funny side of Ingmar Bergman's existential angst. Brian De Palma took Alfred Hitchcock's immaculate staging and hypnotic visuals, amped up the violence and fetishism and developed a style all his own. Quentin Tarantino mashed up Woo... read more and Godard to make the definitive film of 1990's. And while Kim Ji-woon's The Good, The Bad, The Weird doesn't quite reach those heights, it is the best remix film since Inglorious Basterds.

    Ji-woon takes some of the characters and the plot from Sergio Leone's masterpiece The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly but replaces that film's elegiac tone with one of relentless intensity and bawdy humor. Where Leone let his camera luxuriate on the beauty of Spain's plateaus, Ji-woon zips from one dazzling set piece to another only slowing down to deliver the bare minimum of exposition. Ji-woon pares down Leone's already minimalistic plotting and delivers a film of elegant simplicity. Put another way, Leone made a symphony, Ji-woon made a Hip Hop classic.

    All this cinematic trivia, while fascinating, isn't necessary to enjoy The Weird. It's a brightly colored extravaganza. The film's opening scene, an insane train robbery that is the action scene to beat this year, is the antidote to every schizophrenically edited, CGI saturated Hollywood budget buster. The players and settings are clearly established and the action is easily followed. It's old school in the best possible sense. It's kinetic without being frenetic. And it never sacrificed visual clarity for the sake of empty stylistic flourishes.

    This is not to say the film lacks panache. A fierce gunfight takes place in an exquisitely recreated Ghost Market. An impeccably dressed killer finds out that his ornate knife has a dull blade at the most embarrassing possible moment. The Imperial Japanese Army battles hoards of desert bandits who dress like extras in a Prince video.The film exists in the same kind of garish reality that Blade Runner and Cowboy Bebop do. It takes a deft hand to balance such diverse iconography but Ji-woon pulls it off.

    The only thing that keeps the film from true greatness is its reverence to its source material. Some of the film's wild-eyed excitement fades when it becomes clear how closely the film is going to flow The Ugly's ending. Since no one is ever going to beat Leone at a Mexican standoff, I would have liked Ji-woon to try something a little more adventurous. Also, the films soundtrack is effective but never great. Recruiting Ennio Morricone for a score would have been over the top but The RZA would have been perfect. But those are minor quibbles. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is excellent pop cinema and one of the most purely fun movies I've seen all year. And while it's a not a masterpiece of genre subversion that it could be, it is a thrilling combination of Eastern and Western styles.
  • hobster1
    May 26, 2010
    hobster1
    Shallow adventure about a thief, a hitman, and a bounty hunter all vying to find a treasure map. Starting with that title, this ho-hum Korean western is clearly upfront about being inspired by the Sergio Leone classic. The concept is unique, I mean a Spaghetti Western from Sout... read moreh Korea, set in 1930s Manchuria, is pretty unconventional at least. Unfortunately the execution is mostly uninspired. Bright colorful cinematography highlights lots and lots of graphic shoot-outs and chases. At first it's kind of fun, but the strictly by the numbers story grows tiresome after 127 minutes. Fans of the genre may enjoy this Eastern take on a Western classic. All others should simply rent the superior original.

View All The Good, the Bad, and the Weird Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Howell
August 6, 2010
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Imagine the sparseness of classic oaters matched with the energy of martial arts movies and you've got what Kim Jee-won has wrought. Full Review

Colin Covert
May 13, 2010
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Thrill-seekers, rejoice. Here's the summer blockbuster you've been waiting for -- no, dreaming of. The Good, the Bad, the Weird is to Hollywood's puny efforts what the Large Hadron Collider is to a Hu... Full Review

Andrea Gronvall
May 7, 2010
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

With a nod and a wink to Sergio Leone, South Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon delivers a slam-bang western set in Manchuria after the Japanese invasion in 1931. Full Review

G. Allen Johnson
May 7, 2010
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

Kimchi Westerns, anyone? Full Review

Steven Rea
May 6, 2010
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A giddy mashup of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns and Lucas and Spielberg's Indiana Jones romps, this guns-a-blazing wide-screen Korean hit offers a nuttily staged, beautifully filmed, but kind of b... Full Review

Robert Abele
April 29, 2010
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

As vigorously staged as it all is -- sometimes confusingly, occasionally with camera-torqueing flair and impressive stuntwork -- the urge to thrill grows wearisome. Full Review

Ty Burr
April 29, 2010
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Goes for shallow pop instead of narrative depth. It's a lot of fun before it wears you out, and it wears you out sooner than it should. Full Review

Mike Hale
April 23, 2010
Mike Hale, New York Times

[Director Kim Jee-woon] hits a new low with The Good, the Bad, the Weird, a hyper-violent action movie that takes the form of an Asian western.

V.A. Musetto
April 23, 2010
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

The Good, the Bad, the Weird may owe a lot to other films, but it is always fresh and never boring. Full Review

Nicolas Rapold
April 20, 2010
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice

Kim's filmmaking is generally cartoonish in a bad sense, as he squanders his set pieces, flashbacks, and other attention-getting with sometimes downright wretched staging. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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