Overview: Genre maestro Kim Jee-woon (A Tale of Two Sisters) set his sights on new frontiers and spiced them up with his rollicking kimchi western The Good, the Bad, the Weird. Wrangling three of Korea’s biggest stars, he orchestrated an audacious action epic sweeping across the dusty Manchurian plains.

In the 1930’s, three gun-toting Koreans converge on a train with different objectives but after an explosive altercation they leave it with the same goal: track down a map leading to an unfathomable treasure. The Good is bounty hunter Park Do-won (Jung Woo-sung, 12.12: The Day), who is chasing down the Bad, the ruthless bandit Park Chang-yi (Lee Byung-hun, A Bittersweet Life), rumored to be the notorious Finger Cutter.

Meanwhile, wily thief Yoon Tae-goo (Song Kang-ho, Parasite), the Weird, is on the hunt for anything he can get his hands on. Backs are stabbed, fingers are cut, and many bullets fly as this dangerous trio blast their way through the desert in search of untold riches.

This glorious resurrection of the Manchurian Western was the biggest and most ambitious production ever undertaken in Korea. Presented here for the very first time in stunning 4K, experience this spicy slice of wild west mayhem as you’ve never seen it before.

4K Blu-ray Verdict: The Good, the Bad, the Weird is an explosive Korean reinterpretation of the Western, directed by a fully energized Kim Jee-woon. The film blends spectacular shootouts, absurd humor, and a pulp aesthetic full of style, with shades of Mad Max and a comic book spirit. The action is relentless, driven by sharp editing, tight framing, and a vivid color palette that reinforces its tone as a violent fable.

Jung Woo-sung, Lee Byung-hun, and Song Kang-ho form a flawless trio, each embodying their archetype with charisma and energy. The story is simple yet effective, serving as a vehicle for stunning set pieces and showcasing Kim’s technical prowess-skills he would refine in I Saw the Devil.

As a film with the sort of title it has and where its roots of inspiration and premise are based, you’d expect a little in the form of references to the Classical Hollywood Western. From what I garnered, with whatever knowledge I have of the Western, Kim gets most of the references and homages out of the way early on; predominantly so that he can focus on all the action and stuff he wants to include later on.

There are the somewhat obligatory Spaghetti conventions as a large, dry location is established to be setting for all the madness while the sly homage to Once Upon a Time in the West when we’re on board a train early on is cute; as are the typical close ups of eyes and faces as those primed and ready to shoot someone else at point blank range delay for a few seconds.

The film carries a very old, classical and mythical feel to it and the original, catchy soundtrack adds punch and amplifies the film’s wild adventure tone. Though light on narrative depth, the film aims for pure, self-aware spectacle-and absolutely delivers. A film is a pop-art celebration of genre cinema done with flair, rhythm, and great talent [C.S.]

2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
Perfect bound collector’s book featuring writing by Darcy Paquet, Kyu Hyun Kim, Cho Jae-whee and Ariel Schudson
Three postcard-sized artcards
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh

DISC ONE – FEATURE PRESENTATIONS (4K ULTRA-HD BLU-RAY):
4K master approved by director Kim Jee-woon
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Includes both the International and Korean versions of the film presented via seamless branching
DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio on both cuts of the film
Optional English subtitles
Audio commentary by film critic James Marsh and film critic and producer Pierce Conran
Archival audio commentary of the International Cut by director Kim Jee-woon and actors Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung
Archival audio commentary of the Korean Version by director Kim Jee-woon, cinematographer Lee Mogae, lighting director Oh Seung-chul, and art director Cho Hwa-sung (Korean Version)
Introduction to the film by Kim Jee-woon

DISC TWO – BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY):
Corralling Chaos in the Desert, an interview with director Kim Jee-woon
Dusty Dust-ups and Sweaty Saddles, an interview with martial arts
coordinator Jung Doo-hong
Archival making-of films and featurettes
Trailer gallery
Image gallery

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD - Official Trailer

Official Purchase Link

www.arrowvideo.com