'The Good, the Bad, the Weird': High style and humor in Korean treasure-map 'Western'

Sometimes the kind of movies we see depend upon our expectations: We get to see whatever serves the stereotypes we have. If you've been thinking that Korea just has those K-pop idol vehicles, soft romantic chick flicks that are far from chic and the whore and gore stuff, then you've missed the real genre flipping fun that is the 2008 "The Good, the Bad, the Weird." The movie is currently available for instant streaming on Netflix.

This guksu gunslinging Western is all that the movie "Wild Wild West" should have been. Directed and written by Kim Ji-woon (with Choi Jae-won), "The Good, the Bad, the Weird," is an homage to the 1966 Sergio Leone Italian spaghetti Western, "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" starred Clint Eastwood as "The Good" with Lee Van Cleef as "The Bad" and Eli Wallach as "The Ugly." That movie was set during the American Civil War (1986-1865), but the characters aren't really involved in the war. A bandit, Tuco Ramirez (Wallach), is captured by a bounty hunter, the unnamed "Blondie" (Eastwood). Blondie turns Tuco in, but saves him from behind hanged after he collects the reward money. This unlikely partnership breaks down with Blondie deserting Tuco in the desert. Tuco hunts Blondie down and then forces him to march across the desert. During this journey, Tuco finds a carriage with the dying Bill Carson who is babbling about Confederate gold buried in a graveyard. Tuco leaves to get water, but returns to find Carson dead, but Blondie has heard Carson's secret.

Dressed as Confederate soldiers, Tuco and Blondie are captured by Union soldiers and put in a POW camp. Angel Eyes (Van Cleef) knows about the gold and tortures Tuco to get the information. Angel Eyes then forms a partnership with Blondie. Like social quicksand, the partnerships shift and change as the three men go after the gold until their famous Mexican standoff.

Leone was criticized for the film's violence, but by exaggerating the violence Leone  pushed the film toward a cartoonish reality and brought a "tongue-in-cheek" satire to the Western genre.

Kim Ji-woon transports the action to the 1930s, so we have better weapons and the confusion of the Japanese invading China (Manchuria) and Korea. Yet the Japanese Imperial Army are minor players in this story which insinuates that the best fighters weren't in the army...they were bandits. Kim gives us gorgeous blue skies with picturesque clouds and wide open spaces of the frontier of Korea and China. As another nod to Leone's movie, the musical score swells with dramatic movement mixing Spanish and Asian influences. Ennio Morricone fans won't be disappointed although the heavy musical tie-in isn't consistent throughout.

The Bad (Lee Byung-hun) is hired to steal back a treasure map from a Japanese official. We know from history that the Japanese army are the bad guys so we should be okay with this double cross. Dressed in black, The Bad is the one with fashion sense, forced to glower through locks of hair that obscure a third of his face.

The Weird (Song Kang-ho) brings comic relief and crosses paths with The Bad during a train robbery. The Bad has come to reclaim the treasure map, but The Weird takes off with it. The Good (Jung Woo-sung), a bounty hunter in a long tan dress coat, also turns up, seeking the bounty of The Bad's head. The Weird also has a price on his head, becoming a bonus.

The Weird flees with The Good and The Bad is in hot pursuit. Joining them is the Japanese Army; the map is vital to saving the Japanese empire. Along they way to the treasure, with the advances in weaponry in the 1930s versus the 1860s, opportunities for bigger, better, badder booms and blasts abound. There will be a Mexican standoff and they will find the treasure, but not everyone will have a happy ending.

This guksu gunplay movie is great fun, with a graphic flair aided by CGI. Kim's movie isn't a slavish homage to the Leone films. It has more intensely choreographed fights scenes and a wicked humor accompanied by a firm fashion sense. "The Good, The Bad and The Weird" screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 (out of competition). The movie was given a limited release in 2010.

Jung Woo-sung (The Good) won a Best Supporting Actor award at the 2009 Asian Film Awards. Kim Ji-Woon took Best Director at the 2008 Sitges Film Festival and the 2008 Blue Dragon Film Awards.  The film also received awards for cinematography (Lee Mogae). In Korea, Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles.