If there is a must-own DVD so far this year, then The Good, The Bad, The Weird is it. From the moment that this film burst forth from the screen at the London Film Festival, to when it wowed critics in cinemas (read our review HERE) and finally blew away those audiences who dared to give a chance to a non-American action movie.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird is so much more than that. Branded an 'Oriental Western' by director and co-writer Kim Jee-Woon, it's a film that fuses all-out action, offbeat Korean humour and plenty of classic Western cliches. Loosely based (or maybe just inspired) by The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Kim Jee-Woon plays with the genres to great effect. The result is a glorious chase movie jam-packed with scorching action sequences, laugh-out-loud moments and some awe-inspiring cinematography.

The story is, on the face of it, a simple one. 1930s Manchuria, a lawless land under the influence of Imperial Japan. A train is speeding through the vast deserts of the region, but soon a group of dark figures appear to impede its progress. Three separate, equally-feared gunmen arrive to hold up the train: one is looking for money, another seeks a map, and the final is a bounty-hunter in search of the other two. However, the relationship between the three (and the map over which they ultimately battle) is far more complex. As the film unfolds several twists and turns provide ample intrigue to supplement the visual feast on offer.

How does it transfer to DVD though? Well unless you have a massive TV (or, if you're really lucky/rich, a home cinema) some of the impact is inevitably lost. The sweeping vistas of the Chinese deserts is slightly lost, and the rich visual texture found in all of Kim Jee-Woon's films is somewhat muted. Worse still, I suspect some editorial tinkering between the theatrical release and the DVD release, making the film a little more 'universally accessible' (easier to follow). As far as I could see this was completely unnecessary.

Even considering these problems, this remains one of the best action films of many years. Its fusion fight scenes, excellent set-ups and playful parody of the Western genre make for compelling viewing. A superb film to sit around and watch with mates on a weekend, or deeply analyse the benefits of the cultural crossover with an intellectual date. Win-win.

Film Rating: ****

EXTRAS

Any problems accumulated by the film in the transfer to DVD are more than made up for by the bonanza of extras on offer in the 2 disc edition (packaged as normal and priced as reasonably as any new release).

- FIVE alternative endings: From the Korean ending, which is much better, to a tiny extra shot which would have been lame, this is a great insight into the multitude of ways the film could have gone.
- Deleted Scenes: 45 minutes worth of unseen footage that really fleshes out the story. Some of it should almost certainly have been kept, so this is a must for fans of the film.
- 'Running Fast' (Making of): Weighing in at a hefty 90mins, this is a serious making-of documentary. With reams of behind-the-scenes footage, it shows you the minor detail of all of the coolest scenes.
- 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird, and the Vicious': Interviews with the director and three main stars. At only 19 mins long, I would have welcomed more. But can't complain too much, as the group are pretty candid.
- 'Analogue': A 25-minute rundown of the shooting techniques used to achieve the look of the film, and set up the action sequences.
- 'Space': 10-minute interviews with the crew who worked on the design side of things (costume, set-design etc). Worth watching just to hear Cho Hwa-Sung's views on how to dress a Western.
- Trailers: A bunch of adverts for future Icon releases. I recommend you ignore these.

There is some repetition in the docs, and you've got to have stamina to make through the whole lot, but it's a film that's so cool that many people really will want to.

Extras Rating: *****

Starring: Lee Byung-Hun, Song Kang-Ho, Jung Woo-Sung
Director: Kim Jee-Woon
Release date: 15th June 2009
Run time: 124 mins (excluding extras)
Language: Korean (English subtitles)
Certificate: 15

Review by Michael Edwards