The Good The Bad The Weird is a 2008 Korean western directed by Kim Ji-woon.
It stars:
Jung Woo-sung as Park Do-won (The Good)
Lee Byung-hun as Park Chang-yi (The Bad)
Sung Kang-ho as Yoon Tae-goo (The Weird)
This is totally western in make-up though it is set against the Manchurian wilderness in the 1930s. The Japanese are looking to go to war against China and have a treasure map in their possession.
Chang-yi and his wild bunch are hired to get the treasure map. They stop a train with the intention of taking the map from the Japanese. Also on the train is Tae-goo who gets to the map first. Trapped on the train with the bandits closing in on him help arrives in the shape of Do-won, a bounty hunter, who is looking for Chang-yi.
What follows is gripping stuff as alliances are formed and disolved as the three main characters take on the Japanese Army and Chinese bandits all anxious to get their hands on the map and the treasure.
The good thing is that this is a visual film so the Korean language does not become a barrier. The English subtitles are unobtrusive - but it is not necessary when following the action.
The opening credits is something to savour with an eagle swooping down on it's prey that lies between railroad tracks. This coincides with the arrival of a train and just a few yards from where Chang-yi is standing between the tracks watching the train approach. The camera work is something that I found made this and many of the set pieces very awesome.
The ending is a bit tame - they should have used the alternative ending which can be found on this disc as it is more in keeping with the tone of the main movie.
Disc 2 has a 'Making Of...' documentry; an interview with cast and director and some more alternative endings.
All in all worth taking time out to see.
This certainly sounds worth a watch. Thanks for the recommendation.
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