The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Watched The Good, The Bad, The Weird today with Stephen.

The movie set in the 1930s Manchuria, is about a secret treasure stash which the Qing Dynasty buried prior to its downfall. The treasure map is highly sought after and bandits, gangs, thieves, and even the Japanese army are interested in finding the map. The map lands in the hands of a petty thief, Yoon Tae-goo, and everyone goes on a wild chase to capture him.

The Western thriller is action-packed from start to the end and i enjoyed the movie thoroughly, except maybe the unrealistic storyline. The movie starts off with a train hijack by the bandits whose leader is the widely feared, Park Chang-i, and it introduced the show with a big bang. The cinematography is great, the pacing is fast, the action is unstoppable, and the soundtrack is fabulous. The roles in the movie are clearly defined and each character has his own individual style and charisma, even for the cold blooded murderer acted by Lee Byung-hun. The acting is impeccable with the affable Song Kang-ho with his laugh-out-loud and brazen antics, the incredibly stylish but evil Lee Byung-hun, and the charming and righteous Jung Woo-sung.

Director Kim Ji-woon has done a fantastic job in recreating the ancient shanty towns and local inns, the costumes, the fighting equipment, and the setting of the movie in the Manchurian wilderness with deserts and mountains in the backdrop is gorgeous. The storytelling is fluid and it constantly engages the audiences with its well choreographed theatrics and humour infused with the action. Highly entertaining, humourous, well-acted and directed, this Western thriller inspired by The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is only separated from being a great epic by being a tad too unrealistic for the ending.

****

Trailer for The Good, The Bad, The Weird