The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom) (2008) |
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The Good, The Bad, The Weird (Joheunnom nabbeunnom isanghannom) (2008) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Western |
Featurette-Behind The Scenes Interviews-Cast & Crew Deleted Scenes Alternate Ending Theatrical Trailer |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2008 | ||
| Running Time | 124:37 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Kim Ji-woon |
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Studio
Distributor |
CJ Entertainment Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Song Kang-ho Lee Byung-hun Jung Woo-sung Oh Dal-su Yun Je-mun Kim Kwang-il |
| Case | Amaray-Opaque | ||
| RPI | $29.95 | Music |
Dalparan Yeong-gyu Jang |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | Yes, occasionally |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
South Korean cinema may well be the most diverse, innovative and vibrant in East Asia. Koreans can accomplish gritty crime drama, historical epics, Buddhist meditations, monster films, revenge drama, war and martial arts; so why not an "eastern / western"? There are no prizes for guessing which filmmaker most influenced The Good the Bad the Weird, director Kim Jee-woon's entry into the field. The elements within the film may be familiar - three amoral men competing for a treasure hidden in the desert - but the result is all Korean pop-culture.
Japanese occupied Manchuria, the 1930s. When bandit Yoon Tae-gu (Song Kang-ho) robs a train and accidently steals a map from the Japanese he initiates a chain of events that will only end when three men face each other in the desert in a final, deadly showdown. With pursuit by bounty hunter Park Do-won (Jung Woo-sung), psychotic killer Park Chang-yi (Lee Byung-hun), a bandit gang and the Japanese army complete with cannons, The Good, the Bad the Weird is an exhilarating thrill ride from the opening train robbery until the final shootout. Along the way are tremendous action sequences, double crossings and some fine humour. While the film pays obvious homage to Sergio Leone the filmmaking techniques are very different. Leone is famed for long slow build-ups, of alternative extreme facial close-ups and extreme wide angles, mostly with the haunting music of Ennio Morricone building the tension. Until the final showdown, Kim Jee-woon seldom takes time to build tension and heads straight into the action in a blur of hand held camera pans and cuts. This is not to say the action is not exciting; the Ghost Market shoot out and the opening train robbery are spectacular sequences. And if the desert chase, involving horses, motor bikes, jeeps, trucks, machine guns and cannons goes on a bit long, in the final three way shootout between Tae-gu, Do-won and Chang-yi we are firmly back into Leone territory, revisiting the climax of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
There are two versions of The Good the Bad the Weird, a Korean cut and an International version. The Korean (NTSC) version is 135:10 minutes, the main difference being some additional scenes after the final shootout although there are other minor differences. The International version (NTSC) runs 129:47. This Regions 4 DVD contains the International PAL version.
The Good the Bad the Weird is great fun from start to finish. The pace is unrelenting and the film features a wonderful set design, with the Ghost Market set especially having great depth and detail, a robust music score, exhilarating action and three of Korea's top stars. Jung Woo-sung as bounty hunter Do-won (the good) is laid back and very, very cool, Lee Byung-hun as Chang-yi (the bad) is suitably violent and vicious but it is Song Kang-ho as the rogue Tae-gu (the weird) who makes the greatest impact. He gets the best scenes and makes the most of them all. In summary, The Good the Bad the Weird is a fine example of the skills and imagination now happening in South Korean cinema. Go ahead, enjoy the ride!
The Good the Bad the Weird is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. In many ways it is an exceptional print. Colours are positively vibrant from the browns of the desert to the multicolours of the Ghost Market; detail is razor sharp, blacks solid and shadow detail excellent. However, there is some very obvious aliasing on rails (6:05, 8:51) and planks (106:45, 107:16), an error at 105:48 when the part of the screen moves differently from the rest and Gibb effect on the end credits that spoil the otherwise great presentation.
English subtitles are the only option. They are an easy to read yellow font and seem to follow the dialogue well. There are only a couple of minor spelling errors (37:34 for example).
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Audio is a Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448 Kbps. It is a good track that enhances the viewing experience. The surrounds are used constantly for music, horses, gunshots and machine guns and the subwoofer supports the action well. Dialogue is clear and lip synchronisation fine.
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NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The Good the Bad the Weird does not seem to have had a release in Region 1. There are releases in Region 3 (Korea) and Region 2 (UK) plus a UK Region B Blu-ray and Region A Korean Blu-ray.
The Korean DVD is a three disc edition. It contains both Korean and International versions plus many of the extras of the Korean Blu-ray, including a couple of audio commentaries, but unless you speak Korean they are of little value. The UK Region 2 DVD is a two disc special edition which seems to include similar features to the UK Blu-ray. I cannot say for sure with the DVD, but I have a copy of the UK Blu-ray. It includes the same set of deleted scenes but the making of is over 90 minutes, as opposed to the Region 4 Behind the Scenes (13:36 min). The Cast and Crew segment is the same, but the UK Blu-ray has an additional 5th alternative ending that runs 11:41 minutes that I believe is the original Korean ending. Then there are two featurettes of approximately 10 minutes that cover cinematography, lighting, action sequences, sound, production design, costumes and set decoration that are not in the Region 4 release. Region 4 has a theatrical trailer that is not in the UK releases. A win to Region 2.
South Korean cinema is probably the most diverse, innovative and vibrant in East Asia and The Good the Bad the Weird is an example of the filmmaking skills and imagination available. The Good the Bad the Weird is great fun from start to finish. The pace is unrelenting and the film features a wonderful set design, a robust music score, exhilarating action and three of Korea's top stars. The Region 4 DVD has a good if not perfect video, excellent audio and a good set of extra features that are, however, not as extensive as those available in Region 2.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Sony BDP-S350, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG 42inch Hi-Def LCD. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | NAD T737. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
| Amplification | NAD T737 |
| Speakers | Studio Acoustics 5.1 |