With a surging interest in Korean cinema in the wake of Parasite‘s (2019) historic Oscar sweep, we hand the reins of our monthly Western discussion over to the Kimchi Classic The Good the Bad the Weird: a mashup homage to the foundational Spaghetti films from Sergio Leone, pulling from his entire Western filmography. The frenetic and high-octane action of Korean cinema weaves naturally into the stylistic nature of the Italian predecessors, building on a great legacy of tweaking and embracing this classically American genre to adapt the sensibilities of cultures from around the world. Director Kim Jee-woon never loses the unique identity of his Korean homestead in tackling this foreign genre, showcasing instead how malleable and universally reflective the vast deserts and laconic cowboys can be. Though the film cares little for anything other than action spectacle absurdist comedy, what it provides in sheer entertainment value and impressive set piece choreography makes one long for the days of pure, unadulterated sandbox filmmaking — especially one that has the same loving regard for Western classics that we do.
Timestamps:
0:00: February is for Lovers, and not for Movies
7:23: Docs & Reality: McMillions, Survivor: Season 40
13:16: Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon
18:36: Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey
21:54: The Box Office Revenge of Sonic the Hedgehog
26:15: The Good, the Bad, the Weird