The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) [Film Review]

The Good, the Bad, the Weird; or, Once Upon a Time in Korea

     I'll tell you a big secret about that map. You know what it says? “Treasure, Buried, Dig up, Large volumes”. That's what it says on it! It's a treasure map! So you and me can go find it! If there's a treasure, we split it 60-40. Me 60, you 40. How 'bout it? That's how you make a deal, man!

This week I would like to take a look at a cool film which I have recently checked out. I’m embarrassed to say that I hadn’t known what kind of awesome gem I was holding in my hands until the opening sequence rolled in. Let’s talk about Kim Jee Woon’s The Good, the Bad, the Weird from 2008.

Release Info

Directed by: Kim Jee Woon Starring: Song Kang Ho, Jung Woo Sung, Lee Byung Hun

Language: Korean Original Title:좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 Runtime: 136 min

 

Synopsis

Manchuria, year 1939. A professional hitman called Park Chang Yi [the Bad] (Lee Byung Hun) is hired to retrieve a map from a Japanese official travelling by train. However, before he gets his chance to do so after stopping the train, the map has already been stolen from the official by a thief known as Yoon Tae Goo [the Weird] (Song Kang Ho). What is more, Park Do Won [the Good] (Jung Woo Sung), an excellent marksman and a bounty hunter, appears on the scene to hunt down Park Chang Yi. The three men get entangled in a bloody pursuit after the map that allegedly leads to riches buried in the desert by the Qing Dynasty. In addition, it is also sought by the Manchurian bandits and the Japanese Imperial Army. Who will find the treasure and stay alive? Sit back and watch this spaghetti western made in Korea.

For a Fistful of Wons

First of all, I’m amazed that I have not heard anything about this movie for so long. I stumbled across it by complete accident while flicking through Song Kang Ho’s filmography. Then, fortunately, Polish dvd was available within reach. Connect the two and I was in for an experience which could be described as the kick-ass mash-up of Sergio Leone, Mad Max, and Indiana Jones.

From the very first action sequence we get sucked into the action as Song Kang Ho’s character is rushing through the train carriages and the bullets are flying in all directions. The movie relies heavily on the style of spaghetti western, but it is not afraid to stray away from the inspiring genre in order to achieve other means. Rather than ripping off the classic with Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef, it pays homage to its father picture and other movies by blending intense camera work with up-beat music, practical effects, massive shootouts, blood, and explosions.

 

Director Kim Jee Woon created a cult film in every sense of the word; yet, it did not receive the attention it deserved outside of South Korea. My response to this: shame! The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a brilliant roller-coaster of ridiculous fun (and with a great cast!). Additionally, the search for a hidden treasure is a sure-fire premise for an intense adventure.

 

Speaking about the cast, all three main actors shine in their respective roles. Jung Woo Sung is excellent as Clint Eastwood-like cowboy claiming bounty on people who act above the law. Song Kang Ho, on the other hand, is the most memorable as the weird-ish thief/scoundrel with his two pistols and a flight cap with goggles. Jung Woo Sung does an outstanding job with playing a bad guy as he’s mercifully menacing in every scene in which he appears, yet at certain times, he seems to overdo things a bit.

 

Talking about the action in details would consume the space of a whole another review, so I will just limit myself to say that there are lots and lots of gripping moments. The definite icing on the cake is the 11-minute-long (yeah, I counted) chase scene which, in my opinion, is close second to the greatest chase of all time from Mad Max: Fury Road. It is sheer awesomeness and every kid’s dream about living the adventure encapsulated in the impetuous race through the desert. It is a must see!

 

The alternative cut...

As with many international releases of Asian movies, obviously, The Good, the Bad, the Weird had to suffer the butchering as well. Approximately 7 minutes were cut out of the picture. The cuts mainly involve shortened sequences, but the whole ending was changed as well. In the original uncut ending, we see the Weird and the Good survive the standoff, while the international version implies that the three protagonists killed off each other... Why does the distributor have to make everything so downbeat? Anyways, if you don't have the full copy of the film, you can watch the original ending here.

 

Recommendations

Highly recommended to anyone who wants to feel some action and adventure in the Asian setting. You can freely suspend your disbelief and enjoy the film for its entertainment value. This movie desires more love and recognition than it gets. In other words, The Good, the Bad, the Weird guarantee a well spent Saturday afternoon. It is a well made (Korean) Western indeed.

Overall score: 9/10

Hell in the Pacific (1968) [Film Review]

Hell in the Pacific; or, Man vs. Man

     Enemy personnel and unfriendly natives. A man fighting for survival in a jungle is in no position to maintain prisoners of war. Destroy them if they are captured. Immediately. Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Today, I would like to discuss an important, yet a bit forgotten, movie from Toshiro Mifune’s filmography. One could say that it is simply a Cast Away all over again, but John Boorman’s Hell in the Pacific is so much more than Robinson Crusoe-scenario. Why? Because its anti-war message hits you in the guts like a baseball bat.
Release Info

Directed by: John Boorman Starring: Lee Marvin, Toshiro Mifune

Language: English, Japanese Runtime: 103 min

 

Synopsis

World War II, Pacific Ocean. After one of the battles, an American pilot (Lee Marvin) crashes near a desert island and reaches its shore with a raft. It turns out that he is not the only inhabitant as the navy captain Kuroda (Toshiro Mifune) also lost his unit. The two soldiers of the opposing sides are trying to fight each other off. One enslaves the other and vice versa. Only a long passage of time and harsh conditions on the island make the two men realise that they need to cooperate in order to get out of this natural hell. Therefore, despite the communication barrier, they join their forces and proceed to building a raft.

 

For a second, I thought you were a Jap.

It took me quite a while in order to watch this movie as I was expecting some depressing preaching about the war and its atrocities. However, the movie was not made by ideological fanatics, but it was a British-Japanese production. What is more, there are only two actors in the entire movie: Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune. What an unexpected duo that works so well together.

 

This was the third Boorman’s feature film and, as he stated in an interview about the movie (which I highly recommend), he really wanted to make a silent picture. Indeed, Hell in the Pacific has very little dialogue as it relies on the actors’ expressions, visuals, and Lalo Schifrin’s haunting music score.

 

The movie’s theme of enemies-to-the-death starts right off the bat as Mifune’s character becomes aware of Lee’s presence on the island. The two soldiers try to annihilate each in the midst of a rainy jungle on a desert island. No dialogue and no voiceover could make this anti-war message so powerful. The island and the Pacific is static, but a man will always fight with the other man because the higher authority told him to do so.

 

Nevertheless, the wilderness of the island (very much a third character in the movie) exposes their personalities and vulnerabilities. Even though they do not understand themselves linguistically, they develop a bond of friendship when trying to escape the island. In other words, with the abandonment of civilisation, they stop perceiving themselves as enemies. Only after suffering the hardships of the ocean, when they reach the “man’s land”, the two friends gradually regress into their positions from beginning of the movie. Civilisation gets in the way again.

What can I say about the performances? This is a two-men show, so both Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune do an extraordinary job with the material they are given. In addition, John Boorman disclosed that the two actors behaved like best buddies on the set, and such a positive chemistry is more than visible on film. Needless to say, Marvin and Mifune were at their peak when the movie was made (in 1967, the year before, Marvin starred in The Dirty Dozen, whereas Mifune in Japan’s Longest Day).

A word about the ending

There are actually two endings of the movie existing. First is the original, theatrical one (forced by the producers in the edit), when the pilot and Kuroda have a falling out and a bomb shell hits their shelter. To me, it is a very abrupt and out of the tone way to end this story. So, they overcame so much hardships and struggles just to die from a freaking bomb?! Nevertheless, an alternate ending was included in some of the home releases (please head here). I think it is a much more suitable but also way sadder ending as the two friends part their ways in bitter resentment.

 

Recommendations

I checked out this movie purely for Mifune, but I was surprised to discover such a hidden gem. If you have not seen it, go ahead and watch it right now. My recommendation goes especially to those who are interested in the WWII conflicts on the Pacific as quite a few motion pictures were made about this topic. However, Hell in the Pacific is not just about the civilisational conflict. Its universal message transcends the confines of the frames in which the story was set. In other words, it all comes down to helping each other out.

Overall Score 10/10

Wood Job! (2014) [Film Review]

Wood Job!; or, Into the Nature

     You’ll never understand. You’ll leave the village, too. Don’t get everyone’s hopes up. I’m saying if you’re going to leave, hurry up and do it!

Continuing my Shinobu Yaguchi month, today, I’m taking a look at one of his recent movies, which is the Wood Job! from 2014. A feel-good adventure in the midst of the Japanese forest, filmed on outstanding locations.

Release Info

Directed by: Shinobu Yaguchi Starring: Shota Sometami, Masami Nagasawa, Hideaki Ito

Language: Japanese Original Title: 神去なあなあ日常 Runtime: 116 min

 

Synopsis

Yuki Hirano (Shota Sometami) is a student who fails at entrance exams for university. What is more, his girlfriend dumps him. Uncertain as to what to do in life, he notices a promotional leaflet of forestry training program with a beautiful girl on the front cover. In pursuit of the girl from the leaflet, he signs up for the course and he becomes a trainee at Nakamura Lumber Co. high up in the mountains. Working under a tough as nails lumberjack Yoki Iida (Hideaki Ito), Yuki discovers that working in the woods is a hard job. Nevertheless, he continues his apprenticeship and tries to win over the leaflet girl, Naoki (Masami Nagasawa).

 

Being a Lumberjack

Wood Job! is another zero-to-hero story after Yaguchi’s unforgettable Waterboys (2001) and Swing Girls (2003), yet this time, the focus is not on a group but on an individual. Interestingly, the screenplay is based on a story “Stay Mellow – Kamusari Mountain High” (original title: 神去なあなあ日常) by Shion Miura, whose fiction seems to be the hot stuff for filmmakers right now (in 2013, her novel The Great Passage was also adapted into a film).

 

Personally, I found the story of a teenager-turned-lumberjack very interesting. The film has all the trademarks of Shinobu Yaguchi: youthful romance, quirky characters, subtle humour, out-with-a-bang finale and yes, Akira Emoto in a supporting role as well. However, one thing that really stands out is the setting. Contrary to a certain failed filmmaker from Hollywood who had to "build the forest" in order to film, Wood Job! was shot on real location in the mountains of Mie Prefecture and, oh boy, many of the shots are simply breathtaking.

 

Speaking about the location, I gather that Yaguchi must have used a lot of stunt work and the help of real lumberjacks in order to get some of the brilliant shots of falling trees. Thus, a lot of pain and sweat must have gone into the film from the technical side, but it perfectly balances the plotline of the picture.

 

And what’s main the story? It’s a boy meets girl arch, except for the fact that it is enriched with the themes of hard work, self-confidence, appraisal of village life, and even the supernatural. The main hero undergoes a significant change when he notices the importance of taking care of the forest and how it benefits the whole society. He even stands up in the defence of the villagers when some teenaged douchebags from the city are laughing at them. Therefore, the movie’s message is clear: have some respect, even for the things you do not know about.

 

With regard to performances, Shota Sometami and Masami Nagasawa did a great job together and one can really feel the chemistry between these two. Hideaki Ito deserves praise as a super tough lumberjack (his performance was hilarious!). In addition, Yoshimasa Kondo and Yoji Tanaka appear in minor roles as course instructors.

 

Well, I really really enjoyed Wood Job!. It provides the development of the main characters and indicates that there is so much more to life than living in a city. Plus, it has a hilarious, over-the-top finale based on the real Onbashira festival in Japan.

 

Recommendations

Safely recommended to anyone who is looking for a movie to spark a good mood. Wood Job! is a feel-good movie with a great story and wonderful locations. If I ever happen to visit Japan, I will certainly try to visit these mountains for sure. Once again, Shinobu Yaguchi delivered an awesome movie. This guy never fails.

Overall score: 9/10