While browsing through my Netflix the other night, I decided, quite at random, that the title of this film, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, was sufficient enough reason to warrant a watch. Chinese and Korean cowboys, the Japanese Army and a map to a hidden treasure, all set in 1930s occupied Manchuria. You really just can’t go wrong with such an absurd combination.
The first thing about this film is that there is little in the way of plot. It’s there, in the form a loose story to get
hidden treasure and some revenge themes, but mostly The Good, the Bad, the Weird is about 85% shootouts. Seriously, every time they get an opportunity to throw some bullets around, they do. And they shoot for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. The run time of this flick is about 2 hours and 15 minutes and if I had to guess I’d say at least 1 and 30 of that is people shooting at each other. The film begins with a train heist (and a shootout), then proceeds to follow “the weird” as he steals the treasure map and gets chased by others trying to get it back. They track him into town (and have a shootout), follow him to the black market (and have a shootout), and then finally end up chasing him through the desert (and having a shootout).
If you’re looking for a serious plot and well-developed characters, best to go elsewhere. If you want something fun to watch that is filled with guns, ridiculous stunts, cliché action scenes and humor, The Good, the Bad, the Weird is one that shouldn’t be missed.