An 'Oriental Western' doesn't sound like an easy genre to come up with, but it's one of those descriptions that conjure up brilliant images as soon as you hear it. Kim Jee-Woon's attempt to make such a movie is called The Good, The Bad, The Weird and it is a classic in the making. There have been several attempts over the last few years to revamp the Western, beginning with more conservative remakes like 3:10 to Yuma and finally yielding quality movies like No Country for Old Men, but this takes the genre somewhere completely different.

Set in 1930s Manchuria, the film begins with three separate groups independently rob the same train. What's so special about this train? Well aside from being full of wealthy representatives of high society, there is a group from the Japanese army carrying a rather special map. What it leads to is left unsaid, but what is clear is that it's a map that's in demand. Needless to say one of the trio makes off with the valuable piece of cartography and the other head off hot in pursuit. Thus we begin with the most simple of chase movie narratives. However, this basic story is soon to be punctuated by all sorts of twists, turns and generally unpredictable mayhem.

The plot is not the main attraction of this movie though. Built into its easy-to-swallow story are a series of witty plays on the preconceptions inherent in Westerns and in action films, that make some superbly funny moments ranging from a shoot out with one combatant wearing an old diving helmet to an enormous chase involving bandits on horseback, a motorbike gang and a Japanese artillery regiment. Every one of the increasingly spectacular fight and chase scenes is the perfect example of how to entertain an audience, combining a unique and often surprising set of ingredients which have a diversity beyond the range of any film I've seen. The locations take in a market, a desert, a brothel and a train, while the shootouts range from close and gritty to long-range pitched battles. There is not a minute wasted in this film as it ploughs effortlessly through never-ending action scenes.

What makes all of this really special, however, is that the mayhem is so beautifully put together. Choosing such a simple format helps as a starting point, but the setup of each gun fight and the playful choreography of every martial arts bout is truly a sight to behold. It is almost impossible not to revert to a state of childish glee as each new scene brings another excellent head-to-head or chaotic brawl on which your senses can feed. What's more, the characterisation doesn't suffer for any of the film's focus on action. Byung-Hun Lee excels in his first villain role, exuding a cool, hard exterior, whilst Song Kang-Ho's bumbling portrayal of the Weird is a masterclass in comedy acting.

This is a one of a kind movie that provides the variety of non-stop, high quality entertainment that many Hollywood directors would kill to have to their name. A superb evolutionary step for the Western, and an unmissable film.

Starring: Song Kang-Ho, Lee Byung-Hun, Woo Sung-Jung
Director: Kim Ji-Woon
Rating: UK 15 | South Korea 15
Release Date: 6th February (UK)

Rating: 4 stars

Review by Michael Edwards