The best American Adventure film...that's not even American
The western is a genre that has evolved or taken hold in other genres. The very nature of a genre is that it can either morph or merge into another one. Which brings up the adventure genre. What happened to it? Where did it go? When did the fun of the western and the adventure die? Was it with Captain Jack Sparrow? Was it with the sad attempt of making The Lone Ranger a Pirates of the Caribbean on land? Or did it truly die with Kingdom of the Krystal Skull? Maybe in America, but not in Korea.
The Plot
It is the 1930s in Manchuria. "The Bad" (Lee Byung-hun) and his gang raid a train transporting a Japanese official to acquire a map. On board the train, "The Weird" (Song Kang-ho) attempts a one man robbery and "acquires" a map from a Japanese official. The two outlaws collide on board the train only to draw the attention of a bounty hunter aka "Th Good." Everything that can possibly happen in a western becomes even more ballistic with "The Weird" thrown into the mix as the roaring chase for the map is on!
Analysis
I always thought to myself that I'd love to see a western film done like this. I just never expected it to be from Korea. There is no denying that when it comes to quality films, they are definitely up there in terms of out doing films here in the States. It also amazes me how a genre that is known for being an American one easily outdoes Gore Verbinski's feature film adaptation of The Lone Ranger. Granted, Verbinski did make an excellent swashbuckler trilogy with Pirates of the Caribbean as well as a highly entertaining CG animated western with ILM's Rango, so come my shock to see something that is inevitably a long drawn out mess. Even more surprising is how it took me one bored day at home to watch this on Netflix and I'm still in disbelief of how well done it is. I don't really have some grand analysis for this so let me just go straight to the review!
Review
This is one of the most exhilarating movies I've seen in a long time. From the title I assumed it was going to be some sad parody of the Western Epic starring Clint Eastwood. What I discovered was pure magic. As I've raved over and over in this article, this is one of the best western adventure films I've seen in a long time. It is ridiculously entertaining with outlandish characters who don't appear to be too outlandish given the setting and the time. Director Kim Jee-woon crafted a very well balanced western adventure film that references the serious Sergio Leone epics but with the flair of a Steven Speilberg romp. It has given me my second exposure to actor Song Kang-ho who I previously saw in the creepy Korean vampire flick, Thirst.
Song's character Yoon Tae-goo aka "The Weird" is one of the most lovable outlaws I've seen onscreen in a long time. He is weird but not Johnny Depp weird. I like how he is partially smart and partially naive but never so far out that he becomes too much of a cartoon character. He was just the right amount of weird to bring life to "The Weird."
On the serious side, or at least they try to be serious when in the presence of "The Weird," are Lee Byung-hun as Park Chang-yi aka "The Bad" and Jung Woo-sung as Park Do-wan aka "The Good." Lee Byung-hun's Park resembles a modern Korean gangster, yet at the same time the image seems to be completely at home in the Western genre. He plays the cold and calculating outlaw with great finesse. His motives appear straight forward but really there is more to what drives him than one might believe. Then on the good side, and a very loose definition of good, Jung Woo-sung's Park was an obvious homage to Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name but with some devil-may-care trait of Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. For a guy who is suppose to be "The Good" of the story he does come off more as an anti-hero rather than a straight up hero. He plays it the way a shark would, in that it knows its prey and it will keep pursuing as long as there is blood in the water. He utilizes every chance that he gets in order to pursue his target, even if it means teaming up with "The Weird."
Enough about the cast though. The story is straight forward. If you've seen The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly there are some similarities but trust me when I say this: IT IS NOT A REMAKE!. This is an original film that borrows elements from several recognizable western films and the dangerous stunts from the original Indiana Jones trilogy to create something that is completely exhilarating. This is how a blockbuster western film should be done. Every single aspect about this movie just screams American blockbuster, only better. It is such a wonderfully fun film that I enjoyed every single minute of it. Sure there are some problems, mostly with the character development being very weak but it really is a minor problem. Also, most of the effects in this film are PRACTICAL! There may be some CGI but as far as I know there isn't many. It makes the danger feel more real and brings back the exhilaration that has been lost from action films in a long time. This is one of the most fun films I've seen. It is currently streaming on Netlfix now but if you don't have Netflix, go rent it to decide if you want to buy it.
Final Thoughts
If Korea is capable of making a western adventure film without over blown CGI, then why not Hollywood? I'll never know, but till that day comes I'll be enjoying the hell out of this film. This is one of the best fun westerns I've seen in a long time. Go see this movie!
SCORE: 8.9/10 - The fun western you wished The Lone Ranger would be
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