The Good, the Bad, the Weird

The Good, The Bad, The Weird
International Film Poster
Title (English)	The Good, The Bad, The Weird
Title (Korean)	좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈
Title (RR)	Jo-eun nom, Nappeun nom, Isanghan nom
Directed by	Kim Jee-woon
Written by	Kim Jee-woon Kim Min-suk
Screenplay by	Lee Mo-gae
Produced by	Kim Jee-woon Choi Jae-won
Starring	Song Kang-ho Lee Byung-hun Jung Woo-sung
Release date	May 24, 2008 (Cannes) July 17, 2008 (South Korea)
Running time	139 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean Mandarin Japanese

Plot

In the desert wilderness of Manchuria in 1939, months before the beginning of the Second World War. 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 Chang-yi. Meanwhile, Tae-goo 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. Tae-goo 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, 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 that 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 that 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. 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.

Alternative 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. 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's 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 Classificationordered 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.

For comparisons: please click here

Cast

• Song Kang-ho as Yoon Tae-goo, the Weird
• Lee Byung-hun 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 as Man-gil, Yoon Tae-goo's friend
• Song Yeong-chang as Kim Pan-joo
• Ma Dong-seok as Gom (Bear)
• Son Byong-ho as Seo Jae-sik
• Oh Dal-su as Park Seo-bang
• Uhm Ji-won as Na-yeon (cameo appearance)
• Oh Yeon-ah as Japanese female train passenger (cameo appearance)

Release and Reception

The film was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2008. 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.

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 stating that "Whilst never taking itself too seriously, this riotous and rollicking Sergio Leone-inspired Korean Western is serious fun." On Metacritic, it received generally favorable reviews with a total score of 69. 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. 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". 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". 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." 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 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 were criticism directed towards the excessive violence and the simplicity of the script. In particular, the Village Voice 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 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 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'."

Awards and Nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
2008	Sitges Film Festival	Best Director	Kim Jee-woon	WON
		Best Special Effects	Jeong Do-an	WON
		Best Film	"The Good, The Bad, The Weird"	NOMINATED
	Hawaii International Film Festival	Maverick Award	Kim Jee-woon	WON
		Best Supporting Actor	Jung Woo-sung	WON
	Asia Pacific Screen Awards	Achievement in Cinematography	Lee Mo-gae	WON
		Achievement in Directing	Kim Jee-woon	NOMINATED
	17th Buil Film Awards	Best Cinematography	Lee Mo-gae	WON
		Best Art Direction	Cho Hwa-sung	WON
		Special Effects	Jeong Do-an	WON
		Special Jury Prize	Ji Jung-hyeon	WON
		Best Actor	Jung Woo-sung	NOMINATED
		Best Supporting Actor	Song Young-chang	NOMINATED
		Best Editing	Nam Na-yeong	NOMINATED
		Best Music	Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu	NOMINATED
		Buil Readers' Jury Award	"The Good, The Bad, The Weird	NOMINATED
	29th Blue Dragon Film Awards	Best Director	Kim Jee-woon	WON
		Best Cinematography	Lee Mo-gae	WON
		Best Art Direction	Cho Hwa-sung	WON
		Most Popular Film	"The Good, The Bad, The Weird	WON
		Best Film	"The Good, The Bad, The Weird	NOMINATED
		Best Actor	Lee Byung-hun	NOMINATED
		Best Actor	Song Kang-ho	NOMINATED
		Best Music	Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu	NOMINATED
		Best Lighting	Oh Seung-chul	NOMINATED
		Technical Award	DTI	NOMINATED
	Korean Film Awards	Best Cinematography	Lee Mo-gae	WON
		Best Art Direction	Cho Hwa-sung	WON
		Best Sound	"The Good, The Bad, The Weird	WON
		Best Director	Kim Jee-woon	NOMINATED
		Best Actor	Song Kang-ho	NOMINATED
		Best Music	Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu	NOMINATED
	Director's Cut Awards	Best Director	Kim Jee-woon	WON
2009	3rd Asian Film Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Jung Woo-sung	WON
		Best Film	"The Good, The Bad, The Weird"	NOMINATED
		Best Director	Kim Jee-woon	NOMINATED
		Best Actor	Song Kang-ho	NOMINATED
		Best Supporting actor	Lee Mo-gae	NOMINATED
		Best Cinematography	Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu	NOMINATED
		Best Composer	Dalparan and Jang Young-gyu	NOMINATED
		Best Visual Effects	Kim Wook	NOMINATED
	45th Paeksang Arts Awards	Best Film	"The Good, The Bad, The Weird	NOMINATED
		Best Director	Kim Jee-woon	NOMINATED
		Best Actor	Song Kang-ho	NOMINATED
	46th Grand Bell Awards	Best Costume Design	Kwon Yu-jin	WON
		Best Cinematography	Lee Mo-gae	NOMINATED
		Best Editing	Nam Na-gyeong	NOMINATED
		Best Art Direction	Cho Hwa-sung	NOMINATED
		Best Visual Effects	Kim Wook	NOMINATED
		Best Sound	Kim Kyung-tae	NOMINATED

Academic Analysis

Character Analysis

I will start with character analysation as the movie focuses on a fateful encounter between three different people with different personalities, each motivated by different aims. In overview, The Good (Park Do-Won), value honors above all else while also being driven by the cash rewards if he manage to turn in Park Changyi (The Bad) and Yoon Tae Goo (The Weird). The Bad (Park Changyi), is really prideful to a point where he cannot take losing as a final word - hence, is motivated by revenge after he got defeated by The weird (Yoon Tae-goo). The Weird (Yoon Tae-gu), on the other hand, sees the value in material wealth over everything as his sole focus was to reach the place where the treasure was buried.

The Good

Park Do-won (박도원) is a charismatic bounty hunter with remarkable talents. His talent goes as far as him taking and inflicting the highest casualties on the entire Japanese army alone. In addition to this, his outstanding weapon handling is also what makes him talented of a hunter. For instance, the way he handles his rifles - quick aiming and speedy loading. Furthermore, he also exhibits his intelligence by utilizing his environment. For example in scenes where he sneaked out of a train and using a mirror to line up a shot against an approaching enemy. He later shot a chain in a pulley and used it to gain high ground while overwhelming Park Chang-yi's gang. His enormous talent was even recognized by the Korean independence fighters as they often need his aid.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, I do not understand the reason why he is "The Good", as the movie does not really elaborate on his character. I see him as ruthless as the other two because he is willing to kill any that get in the way of his target. While many gang members were obvious targets for Park Do-Won, his most ruthless choice of action was to wage war on the Japanese army because they stood in between him and his targets. Park Do-Won did mention his country was stolen. It is possible that this was his personal motive to kill Japanese soldiers because he judged them to be the "evil thieves". If you look at things in this perspective, probably this is one of the reasons why he is being seen as "The Good", to some extent. On top of this, he was hunting Park Chang-yi (The Bad) because he is the most notorious gangster in Manchuria and also him thinking Park Chang-yi as the "Finger Chopper". In which, this automatically makes him being known as someone fearless.

However, I also think that Park Do-won is an opportunist as he was on the hunt for Park Chang-yi, he is also doubling the amount of rewards (6000yen/yuan for Park Chang-yi's head) he was going to get if he ever get to the treasure which he agreed to have it split 60-40 with Yoon Tae-goo, whom he met in his pursuit of capturing Park Chang-yi . Also, there was a scene where he mentioned that when living in a stolen country, a man needs money, hence why the bounty hunting. Park Do-Won's value of principles also causes him to disagree with Yoon Tae-goo, the Weird, in matters of desire. When Yoon Tae-goo tells Park Do-Won of how he desires to use the treasure to buy land and livestock and other material wealth, Park Do-Won subtly expressed his surprise and disappointment that Yoon Tae-goo has not thought deeper than material wealth. Park Do-Won then reveals an introspective side of himself: speaking of how owning land in a stolen country is meaningless and that those like Yoon Tae-goo who chase a desire will always be chased in turn - that chasing is what life is. Thus, in many of his interactions with Yoon Tae-Goo, Park Do-Won looks down on him as an untrustworthy ally at best and a fool of an outlaw. However, as it was revealed that the real "Finger Chopper" was actually Yoon Tae-goo, he also decided to put Yoon Tae-goo in his "criminals to kill" list. I guess, him hunting bad people made him into the most heroic.

Having said that, Park Do-won is a man of few words, hence, it is truly difficult to interpret what kind of person he is. To me, between the three of them, I find him the most mysterious as the movie did not expand on his background as much as the other two. Especially in a scene where when Yoon Tae-goo asked him what he would do with the wealth if they found the treasure. However, what he would actually do with the treasure is left a mystery as Yoon Tae-goo fell asleep before Park Do-Won could share his dream.

The Bad

Park Chang-yi (박창이) is the main antagonist of the story. He is the most feared hitman in Manchuria and also, the leader of a group of bandits. He took pride in being the "most deadly man" in Manchuria ever known. He values his own pride and immense individual power above all else to an extent where he could not accept a defeat. Hence, due to this nature of his personality, he is also sensitive when someone mentioned about his defeat(s). There were few scenes in the movie where you could see how one act of doubting his ability would scratch his ego. First instance is when he could not retrieve the map within given period of time where he tried (but failed) to trick his boss; in my opinion, he was not only doing that because of the material gains, but he also did it mainly to maintain his reputation as the fearful hitman in the region. Hence, when his boss found out he lied about the map, he ended up murdering his own boss because in a way, his boss discovered that even a skillful hitman/bandit like him could fail a mission. Thus, I think, this situation actually made him feel belittled. Another instance is when one of his followers questioned him about his past - whether or not the rumor about him being defeated by Yoon Tae-goo was real. In which, he ended up killing this follower for the offense of reminding him of such a defeat.

Later in the movie, we got to know his past encounter with Yoon Tae-goo; the backstory of how he lost his right index finger. While Yoon Tae-goo fled from Korea to forget his past, Park Chang-yi never really did forget this event as the defeat scarred him for life. Hence the burning need to hunt and avenge for his lost finger; also, to restore his reputation as the "best hitman". So, whenever he found out that a person is an associate of someone Yoon Tae-goo, he will make them suffer by chopping their fingers and even also try to kill them. He also had chopped so many to make Park Do-won assumed that he was the "Finger Chopper".

Nevertheless, this is not to say that Park Chang-yi does not value material wealth and the power that his subordinates add to his own. He is a leader of dangerous bandit group, in one way or another, material wealth does matter to some extent as he also pursued the treasure before knowing it was Yoon Tae-goo who had the map. After learning that the person who had the map was Yoon Tae-goo, the need for the wealth got blurred out instantly. Because to Park Chang-yi, defeating Yoon Tae-goo would help him to redeem his loss and restore his reputation again. For instance, you could see that after he murdered his boss, he took the pouch of wealth in the hope of luring Yoon Tae-goo to battle with him again since he knew how materialistic Yoon Tae-goo is.

When killing, he always uses a knife when he fights. He has got huge pride when he fights. Even though he has guns, he still fights with knife, because he wants to show that he can kill people without a gun. Instead of inflicting instant death with his guns, he favors sadistic and slower work with his knife more. This fact alone, to me, made him seem like he is such a psychotic and cruel killer. For instance, he will smile while he slowly cuts his victims to pieces, one slice at a time. However, amusingly, and in spite of his incredible talent, he actually does not know how to slice off a person's finger; trying to saw through bone with a sharp blade instead of crushing the bone with it. He made excuses for it, blaming his knife's sharpness and the rain for his difficulties. This is an early hint that Park Chang-yi is not the true Finger Chopper.

To say that Park Chang-yi is the most violent and cruel of the three is an understatement. He has a psychotic personality and a high propensity for treachery and violence. He also has no qualms about killing bystanders, including women. As a lifelong killer, Park Chang-yi finds humor in death and is amused by how people live as though they will never die, despite its inevitability. Park Chang-yi seems to truly understand this as he is willing to risk death to solidify his legend, even when dueling a foe who had defeated him in the past. Of all the three warriors, Park Chang-yi was the most dangerous person to be in the presense of. Obviously, he enjoys it when people are terrified only by hearing his name. I also think that he is smart amd skillful killer as in once scene he took advantage of a thunderstorm to mask the sound of his movements before surprising Park Do-Won and Yoon Tae-goo with a submachine gun.

The Weird

Yoon Tae-goo (윤태구) is a bandit and a master survivalist. Rather than weird, I would like to say he has a goofy personality. Hence, due to this, people tend to assume that he is a lowly thief and and an idiot. However, in my opinion, out of the other two he is a genius. He stole the treasure map from the Japanese officials and over the course of the movie, ignited a conflict where various gangs, bounty hunters, and the Japanese army race to acquire the map and treasure for themselves. He values monetary gain and his life above all else to an extent where he is willing to face incredible danger and risky situations for what he assumed to fruit "incredible rewards". He is also easily the greatest survivalist of all the characters in the film. He achieves his survival using a combination of fighting prowess, intelligence, caution and charismatic negotiation. Throughout the entire story, he managed to escape so many events with minimal injuries. Hence why I think he is exceptionally intelligent. His greatest weapon is definitely his mind; made doubly strong since most assume he is a fool. In addition to this, he knows how to use his surrounding environment in ways that others do not. Hence why he usually win fights and survives. For instance, when it was revealed that he actually wore a metal chest shield underneath his suit to prevents the chest shots he receive in the Mexican standoff from being fatal. In addition to this, while he is not as daring as the other two, it is his fear that makes him a great survivor. If he is in a possibly lethal situation he will first try, often successfully, to negotiate his way out. If a fight is necessary, he faces it with no fear. He may try to avoid danger but proves that he is strong at his core when danger is unavoidable.

Eventhough sometimes he can be seen as a bit selfish, I do think he has a kind personality. For instance, there were plenty of scenes where he exhibits his kindness - care for his Grandmother, his partner Man Gil, and even Park Do-won on certain occasions, saving three kids sold into sexual slavery and immediately began protecting them; ultimately saving them and driving them away from their captors. He also seemed to dream of sharing the treasure with his Grandmother. To me, he is just a "family" man who wants to start over something new, calmly living life. Hence his dreams of using the treasure to buy a farm with livestock in his native country, Korea. His other interactions with Park Do-won reveal much about both of their personalities. While Park Do-won looks down on him as a criminal, he sees Park Do-won as a high threat who is motivated by forces he cannot understand. Park Do-won found his dream shallow and remarked at the futility of owning land in a stolen country. He then said that the rulers are not that much different revealing that he sees all authorities as authority. Perhaps, his life as a criminal influenced this belief as any authority would punish him for his crimes and it was up to him to make a livelihood for himself in spite of these authorities.

In terms of taking pride in his legacy, he is a complete inversion of Park Chang-yi. He has a bloody and infamous past that he would rather leave behind. Why he left Korea and his past as the "Finger Chopper" behind is one of the film's mysteries. What is clear is that he was able to lose his fame and had to change himself to do it. He dresses, acts, and even moves differently than how he did five years before the events of the film. He describes his past as "sad" to Park Do-won and was visibly pleased when his friend, Man Gil, made it clear that the public currently sees him as a lowly thief. He succeeded in leaving his past and forgetting most of it until Park Chang-yi reminded him of it. Given his desire is to achieve the life of a wealthy farmer, his past would make the dream impossible. However, as it turns out, because Park Chang-yi made the truth about him being the "Finger Chopper" public, judging from how the battle ended, while he does survive, he loses his anonymity and his actions gain him new notoriety as one of the criminals in Manchuria. This was made more devastating when he realized that the treasure he fought so hard for was oil, immensely valuable to an organization but not to a thief. Eventhough he did gained small fortune taken from Park Chang yi's pockets.

In my opinion, he is the most likeable out of all three. In addition to this, we learn more about him than the two other characters

Scene Analysis

This movie a tribute to spaghetti westerns and western action films. In my opinion, the plot of the movie is a truly simple one – so simple as to verge on being a non-plot. From the title of the film itself, from which the director himself calls a kimchi western, is actually a play upon Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).

To recap, the film takes place in Manchuria where three Koreans in exile cross paths during the Japanese occupation. Park Chang-yi (the Bad), the hitman/bandit leader, is hired to steal a treasure map from a Japanese official, but a train robber, Yoon Tae-goo (the weird), beats him to it — only to be captured by a Bounty Hunter, Park Do-won (the Good). Tae-goo talks Do-won into helping him search for the treasure instead, and they set off through the desert together, with Chang-yi's gang and the Japanese army in pursuit. During the action-filled chase that follows, each of the three turns out to have some hidden motives.

To start:

The Treasure Map

I believe there are reasons as to why the map was being used as an opening scene to the movie. Hence, the entire movie did revolve around the map, in which, has led the three main characters to encounter each other. If I could interpret the map further, it also displays the land as treasure - the exploration of crude oil could have bring power to whoever knows how to utilize it. Again, considering the period of the year the movie is referring to, indeed land is a valuable property.

"Every Korean has a sad story"

When Park Do-won mentioned this, considering it was a period of Japanese Occupation, I wonder if he was probably referring to the land of Korea that was being stolen by the Japanese as before that he mentioned "why buy land when your country is stolen?". During that period, it is indeed sad and even traumatising for Koreans as they did not have much power and control at that time. In relation to the picture description above, I assumed that those who owns a land at that period of time can be considered as "people of power" as possessing or occupying lands were not something easily attainable.

Favorite Scenes

Yoon Tae-goo talking about his dream

"Life is about chasing and being chased"

The Revelation

Personal Commentary

The movie definitely has a good cinematography considering the year it was released. It is flawed but forgivable due to the amount of humors being put into this movie. The three of them are fated to meet each other because of the map, in which at first all shares the same material goals but some sort of deviated from their original goals - for instance, Park Chang-yi saw an opportunity to avenge for his loss index finger after he found out the person who has the map was Yoon Tae-goo. In my opinion, all three main characters have incredible exaggerated skills. With such skills and talents, it would have been amazing if the three of them joined forces together, they would be able to overcome the Japanese colonial army themselves. However, they chose to focus on chasing the treasure and also, each other.

They never really elaborate why the map is really valuable but I guess, probably the crude oil could have been useful for big organisations more than for personal use. But then again, considering the period of when the movie is referring to, how valuable was crude oil? Aside from this, I think the backstory of the three main characters are imbalanced. We get to know more about Yoon Tae-goo and Park Chang-yi but not more about Park Do-won. I feel like his presence is literally just there. That said, according to a source, the longer version at least gives some background to the presence of the Park Do-won better.