The Good, the Bad, the Weird

The Good, the Bad, the Weird

Theatrical poster
Hangul 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈
Hanja 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 異常한 놈
Revised Romanization Jo-eun nom, nappeun nom, isanghan nom
McCune–Reischauer Choŭn nom, nappŭn nom, isanghan nom
Directed by Kim Jee-woon
Produced by Kim Jee-woon
Choi Jae-won
Written by Kim Jee-woon
Kim Min-suk
Starring Song Kang-ho
Lee Byung-hun
Jung Woo-sung
Music by Dalparan
Jang Young-gyu
Cinematography Lee Mo-gae
Edited by Nam Na-yeong
Production
company
Barunson Co. Ltd.
Grimm Pictures[1]
Distributed by CJ Entertainment
(South Korea)
IFC Films
(US)
Release dates
Running time
 139 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Japanese
Mandarin
Budget US$10 million[2]
Box office US$44,261,209

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (Hangul: 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈; RR: Jo-eun nom nappeun nom isanghan nom) is a 2008 South Korean action western film, directed by Kim Jee-woon, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung.[3] It was inspired by Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.[4][5]

The film premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and had a limited release in the U.S. on April 23, 2010.[6] It received positive reviews with critics praising the action, the cinematography and the direction. The film marks the second collaboration between actor Lee Byung-hun and director Kim Jee-woon who previously collaborated on the gangster drama A Bittersweet Life and then again would do so in Kim's I Saw the Devil.

Plot

In the desert wilderness of Manchuria 1939, months before World War II, Park Chang-yi, The Bad (Lee Byung-hun)—a bandit and hitman—is hired to acquire a treasure map from a Japanese official traveling by train. Before he can get it however, Yoon Tae-goo, The Weird (Song Kang-ho)—a thief—steals the map and is caught up in The Bad's derailment of the train. This involves the slaughter of the Japanese and Manchurian guards, and various civilians. Park Do-won, The Good (Jung Woo-sung)—an eagle-eyed bounty hunter—appears on the scene to claim the bounty on The Bad. Meanwhile, The Weird escapes, eluding his Good and Bad pursuers. A fourth force—a group of Manchurian bandits—also want the map to sell to the Ghost Market. The Weird hopes to uncover the map's secrets and recover what he believes is gold and riches buried by the Qing Dynasty just before the collapse of their government. As the story continues, an escalating battle for the map occurs, with bounties placed on heads and the Imperial Japanese Army racing to reclaim its map as it can apparently "save the Japanese Empire".

After a series of graphic shootouts and chases, a final battle erupts in which the Japanese army, Manchurian bandits, The Good, The Bad and his gang are chasing The Weird all at once. The Japanese army kills most of the bandits. The Good kills many Japanese soldiers and sets off an explosion that drives them away. The Bad's gang is slowly killed off and he kills those that attempt to leave the chase. Only the Bad, the Weird and the Good make it to the "treasure". However, they find that it is nothing more than a boarded-over hole in the desert. The Bad recognizes The Weird as the "Finger Chopper"—a criminal that cut off his finger in a knife fight five years ago—and the man that the Good had thought the Bad to be. Turning on each other in a final act of vengeance for the slights they suffered, they finally gun each other down after a prolonged Mexican standoff. The three lie in the sand, dying and alone, as the "useless hole" that they fought and died for suddenly and belatedly erupts with a geyser of crude oil. The Good does survive along with the Weird. With a newly raised bounty on the Weird, a new chase begins as he flees across the Manchurian desert.

Cast

Alternate versions

Two versions of the film were released in cinemas: one being for the native Korean market and the other for international sales. The Korean theatrical cut is 136 minutes long and the international cut is 129 minutes long.[7] The Korean ending is more "up-beat" than the international version, including several more minutes of footage. In the alternate ending, The Weird, Tae-goo, gets up. He reveals the thick metal sheet he hid under his quilted jacket and limps over to demolish the corpse of Chang-yi, The Bad. While doing so, he discovers diamonds in Chang-yi's pocket and giggles with delight before realising he's surrounded by the Japanese army. Inadvertently lighting a stick of dynamite, Tae-goo scares off the Japanese and dives for cover before realising it was lit. Over the credits, Tae-goo sets off to continue hunting for the treasure with his bounty multiplied sevenfold, while The Good, Do-won, vindictively pursues him. The ending of the international version reflects the end that director Kim Jee-woon originally wanted.[8]

In the United Kingdom, the British Board of Film Classification ordered five seconds of cuts to the cinema release due to scenes of horse falls judged to be animal cruelty that violated the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.[9]

Reception

The film was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2008.[10][11] It also received screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, and the London Film Festival.

American distribution rights were acquired by IFC Films, who released it in theaters on a limited basis on April 23, 2010.[12]

The Good, the Bad, the Weird received generally positive reviews. Review aggregating website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 84% of 60 sampled critics gave the film positive reviews and that it got a rating average of 7.2 out of 10.[13] On Metacritic, it received generally favorable reviews with a total score of 69.[14] Variety said that "East meets West meets East again, with palate-tingling results, in 'The Good the Bad the Weird', a kimchi Western that draws shamelessly on its spaghetti forebears but remains utterly, bracingly Korean" awarding the film 3.5 out of 5 stars.[15] Additionally, Robert Abele from the Los Angeles Times mentioned that "Knives, explosions and knockabout humor have been added to taste. As vigorously staged as it all is -- sometimes confusingly, occasionally with camera-torqueing flair and impressive stuntwork -- the urge to thrill grows wearisome. Were audience members to be included as a collective character as well, they'd be "The Tired".[16] The A.V. Club gave it a B+ saying that "The story’s many advances and reversals can be hard to follow at times, but this isn’t really a movie where plot is paramount. Everything boils down to the action, and what that action means".[17] The New York Post gave it a four star rating out of five stating that "The Good, the Bad, the Weird may owe a lot to other films but it is always fresh and never boring".[18] Empire magazine gave it a three star rating out of five commenting that "A tangled narrative and damp -squib ending detract from an otherwise joyous Spaghetti Eastern Western".[19]

Box office

The Good, the Bad, the Weird earned US$128,486 in North America and US$44,132,723 in other territories, bringing the worldwide gross to US$44,261,209.[20] It was the second highest grossing Korean film in 2008 after Scandal Makers, beating The Chaser.[21]

Awards and nominations

2008 Sitges Film Festival

2008 Hawaii International Film Festival

2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards

2008 Buil Film Awards

2008 Blue Dragon Film Awards[22]

2008 Korean Film Awards

2008 Director's Cut Awards

2009 Asian Film Awards

2009 Baeksang Arts Awards

2009 Grand Bell Awards

Home media

The film was released on DVD on March 11, 2009. The Korean release contains a longer version of the film and the international release has a slightly shorter cut with English subtitles.[23]

References

  1. ↑ "HAF 2007 Projects: 9. Good, the Bad and the Weird, The". Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum. 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  2. ↑ "HAF 2007 Project Details: 9. Good, the Bad and the Weird, The" (PDF). Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum. 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  3. ↑ Wong, Grace (November 26, 2008). "Korean idol Lee Byung-hun makes waves overseas". CNN. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Kim Jee-woon on a Loving Homage to the Masters". The Chosun Ilbo. August 1, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ Sélavy, Virginie (February 1, 2009). "Interview with Kim Jee-woon". Electric Sheep Magazine. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ Brown, Todd (March 23, 2010). "At Long Last, A US Trailer And Release Date For Kim Jee-woon's THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD". Twitch Film. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  7. ↑ "The Good, The Bad, The Weird (DVD) (Special Edition) (First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)". YesAsia. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Cannes cut of The Good, The Bad, The Weird in Theaters". KBS Global. August 1, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Good The Bad The Weird (BBFC reference AFF253342)". BBFC. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  10. ↑ "The Good, the Bad, the Weird". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  11. ↑ "East-Meets-Western Offers Hope for Korean Film Recovery". The Chosun Ilbo. May 26, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Good, Bad and Weird Draws 4 Mil. Viewers". The Chosun Ilbo. July 29, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  13. ↑ "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  14. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-good-the-bad-the-weird
  15. ↑ Elley, Derek (May 24, 2008). "The Good The Bad The Weird". Variety.
  16. ↑ "Capsule movie reviews: 'Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe'". Los Angeles Times. April 30, 2010.
  17. ↑ http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-good-the-bad-the-weird,40400/
  18. ↑ Musetto, V.A. (April 23, 2010). "Full-throttle thrill ride with buckets of blood". New York Post.
  19. ↑ http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?DVDID=118094
  20. ↑ "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  21. ↑ Lee, Hyo-won (August 5, 2008). "Good, Bad, Weird Revamps Cinema for Fall Lineup". The Korea Times. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  22. ↑ "The Good, the Bad, and the Weird - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  23. ↑ Brown, Todd (February 14, 2009). "THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE WEIRD Finally Arrives On DVD March 11th". Twitch Film. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
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