''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' () is a 2008 South Korean

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

directed by Kim Jee-woon and starring

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (; born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Regarded as one of the most influential actors in Korean cinema, he has appeared in critically acclaimed films across various genres. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, i ...

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably '' Joint Security Area'' (2000); '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) ...

, and Jung Woo-sung.' The film is inspired by the 1966 Italian

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ''The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'' (, literally "''The good, the ugly, the bad''") is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good", Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach a ...

''. The film premiered at the

2008 Cannes Film Festival The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2008. American actor and filmmaker Sean Penn served as jury president for the main competition. French filmmaker Laurent Cantet won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for th ...

and had a limited release in the U.S. on 23 April 2010. 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 had previously collaborated on the action drama '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005) and would later do so again in Kim's '' I Saw the Devil'' (2010).

Plot

In the desert wilderness of

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

in 1939, months before the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Park Chang-yi, The Bad (

)—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 (

)—a

thief Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal short ...

—steals the map and is caught up in the Bad's hijacking 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 Chang-yi. Meanwhile, Tae-goo escapes, eluding his Good and Bad pursuers. A fourth force—a group of Manchurian bandits—also wants the map to be sold at the Ghost Market. Tae-goo hopes to uncover the map's secrets and recover what he believes is gold and riches buried by the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

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 The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

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, Do-won, Chang-yi and his gang are chasing Tae-goo all at once. The Japanese army kills most of the bandits. Do-won kills many Japanese soldiers and sets off an explosion that drives them away. Chang-yi's gang is slowly killed off, and he kills those who attempt to leave the chase. Only Chang-yi, Tae-goo and Do-won make it to the "treasure". However, they find that it is nothing more than a boarded-over hole in the desert. Chang-yi recognizes Tae-goo as the "Finger Chopper"—a criminal who cut off his finger in a knife fight five years ago—and the man that Do-won had thought Chang-yi 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 Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...

. Do-won survives along with Tae-goo. With a newly raised bounty on Tae-goo, a new chase begins as he flees across the Manchurian desert.

Cast

as Yoon Tae-goo, the Weird *

as Park Chang-yi, the Bad * Jung Woo-sung as Park Do-won, the Good * Yoon Je-moon as Byeong-choon, Manchurian Bandit Leader's Right-hand man *

Ryu Seung-soo Ryu Seung-soo (born August 12, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Ryu made his acting debut in 1997 with a minor role in Park Chan-wook's film ''Trio'', and has been active as a supporting actor on film and television since. Among his notable films ...

as Man-gil, Yoon Tae-goo's friend * Song Yeong-chang as Kim Pan-joo *

Ma Dong-seok Lee Dong-seok (; born March 1, 1971), better known by the stage names Ma Dong-seok () and Don Lee, is an American actor and film producer based in South Korea. He gained early recognition for his supporting roles in '' Nameless Gangster: Rules ...

as Gom (

Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

) *

Son Byong-ho Son Byong-ho (; born August 25, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Son is known for his role in action films, notably, '' R-Point'' (2004), '' Running Wild'' (2006), '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) and '' Insu, The Queen Mother'' (2011). ...

as Seo Jae-sik *

Oh Dal-su Oh Dal-su (; born 15 June 1968) is a South Korean character actor who has appeared on television, film, and stage. His acting career spans over 35 years. Oh is best known for his supporting roles in director Park Chan-wook's films, having appear ...

as Park Seo-bang * Uhm Ji-won as Na-yeon ( cameo) * Oh Yeon-ah as a Japanese female train passenger ( cameo)

Alternative versions

Two versions of the film were released in cinemas: one 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. The Korean ending is more "upbeat" than the international version, including several more minutes of footage. In the alternative 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 is surrounded by the Japanese army. Inadvertently lighting a stick of dynamite, Tae-goo scares off the Japanese and dives for cover after 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. In the United Kingdom, the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited ...

ordered five seconds of cuts to the cinema release due to scenes of horse falls judged to be

animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or Injury, harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

that violated the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.

Reception

The film was screened out of competition at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

on May 24, 2008. It also received screenings at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

Hawaii International Film Festival Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

Sitges Film Festival SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy film, fantasy, Horror film, horror and Cult film, cult films. Established in 1968, the festiva ...

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, and the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

. American distribution rights were acquired by

IFC Films Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks. It mainly distributes independent fil ...

, which released it in theaters on a limited basis on April 23, 2010. ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' received generally positive reviews. Review aggregating website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported that 84% of 60 sampled critics gave the film positive reviews and that it got an average rating of 7.2 out of 10, stating that "Whilst never taking itself too seriously, this riotous and rollicking Sergio Leone-inspired Korean Western is serious fun." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, it received generally favorable reviews with a total score of 69. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' 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. ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' gave it a B+ saying that "The story's many advances and reversals can be hard to follow at times, but this isn't a movie where plot is paramount. Everything boils down to the action, and what that action means". The ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' 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". ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' 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." '' Time Out'' critic Tom Huddlestone stated that "This is filmmaking as rodeo ride: bruising and ultimately pointless, but thrilling as hell while it lasts" and awarded the film four out of five stars. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' gave it a positive review declaring the film "a jaunty, happy-go-lucky adventure that packs a fistful of dynamite in the spectacular showdown." On the other hand, there was criticism directed towards the excessive violence and the simplicity of the script. In particular, the ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

''s Nicolas Rapold mentioned that "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" while ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' wrote that the film "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." Additionally, Robert Abele from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' mentioned that "Knives, explosions and knockabout humor have been added to taste. As vigorously staged as it all is -- sometimes confusingly, occasionally with camera-torquing 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'."

Box office

''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' earned in North America and in other territories, bringing the worldwide gross to . It was the second highest grossing Korean film in 2008 after '' Scandal Makers'', beating '' The Chaser'' and it is one of the highest grossing films of all time in South Korea.

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.

Awards and nominations

2008

*Best Director – Kim Jee-woon *Best Special Effects – Jeong Do-an *Nomination – Best Film 2008

*Maverick Award – Kim Jee-woon *Best Supporting Actor – Jung Woo-sung 2008

Asia Pacific Screen Awards The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an international cultural initiative overseen by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and headquartered in Australia, sometimes called "Asia-Pacific Oscars". In order to realise UNESCO's goals of promoting a ...

* Achievement in Cinematography – Lee Mo-gae *Nomination – Achievement in Directing – Kim Jee-woon

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Buil Film Awards The Buil Film Awards () is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the '' Busan Ilbo'' newspaper. It began in 1958 as one of the earliest film awards in the country. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was the biggest film awards event in the ...

*Best Cinematography – Lee Mo-gae *Best Art Direction – Cho Hwa-sung *Technical Award – Jeong Do-an (Special Effects) *Special Jury Prize – Ji Jung-hyeon *Nomination – Best Actor – Jung Woo-sung *Nomination – Best Supporting Actor – Song Young-chang *Nomination – Best Editing – Nam Na-yeong *Nomination – Best Music – Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu *Nomination – Buil Readers' Jury Award

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

*Best Director – Kim Jee-woon *Best Cinematography – Lee Mo-gae *Best Art Direction – Cho Hwa-sung *Most Popular Film *Nomination – Best Film *Nomination – Best Actor –

*Nomination – Best Actor –

*Nomination – Best Music – Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu *Nomination – Best Lighting – Oh Seung-chul *Nomination – Technical Award – DTI 2008 Korean Film Awards *Best Cinematography – Lee Mo-gae *Best Art Direction – Cho Hwa-sung *Best Sound *Nomination – Best Director – Kim Jee-woon *Nomination – Best Actor –

*Nomination – Best Music – Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu 2008

Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It is presented by the Korea Film Director's Network (KFDN), a group of approximately 300 Korean filmmakers. The KFDN selects winners in the Korean ...

*Best Director – Kim Jee-woon

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

Asian Film Awards The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Asian Film Awards Academy to recognise the excellence of the film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema. History On January 29, 2007, Wilfred Wong, the Chairman of Hong Kon ...

* Best Supporting Actor – Jung Woo-sung *Nomination – Best Film *Nomination – Best Director – Kim Jee-woon *Nomination – Best Actor –

*Nomination – Best Supporting Actor –

*Nomination – Best Cinematography – Lee Mo-gae *Nomination – Best Composer – Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu *Nomination – Best Visual Effects – Kim Wook

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...

*Nomination – Best Film *Nomination – Best Director – Kim Jee-woon *Nomination – Best Actor –

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

*Best Costume Design – Kwon Yu-jin *Nomination – Best Cinematography – Lee Mo-gae *Nomination – Best Editing – Nam Na-yeong *Nomination – Best Art Direction – Cho Hwa-sung *Nomination – Best Visual Effects – Kim Wook *Nomination – Best Sound – Kim Kyung-tae

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Good, The Bad, The Weird, The 2008 films 2008 Western (genre) films 2000s action adventure films South Korean Western (genre) films South Korean action adventure films Films set in the 1930s Films set in Liaoning Films set in Jilin Films set in Manchukuo Films shot in China Films about train robbery Films directed by Kim Jee-woon CJ Entertainment films Icon Productions films 2000s Korean-language films 2000s Mandarin-language films 2000s Japanese-language films Second Sino-Japanese War films 2008 multilingual films South Korean multilingual films 2000s South Korean films Films about treasure hunting Films about the Korean independence movement Works about the Korean diaspora in China