The Good, the Bad, the Weird

Director: Kim Jee-woon

2008 / 139min / 35mm

Taking inspiration from Sergio Leone’s 1966 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, an undisputed high watermark of the spaghetti western, Kim crafted this kimchi western par excellence, bringing together bandit Lee Byung-hun, thief Song Kang-ho, and bounty hunter Jung Woo-sung in the hostile deserts of Manchuria c. 1939, double-crossing one another—and, occasionally, warily, working together—as they vie for possession of a treasure map urgently sought by the Imperial Japanese Army. A rollicking, jaunty mixture of madcap knockabout comedy, jaw-dropping stunt work, and kinetic camera choreography, chock full of hair’s breadth escapes, over-the-top set pieces, and an abiding air of goofily grinning goodwill.

CJ Entertainment

Part of Sukiyaki Bebop