paulclaassen Yet another outstanding film from director Kim Jee-woon! An all-star cast, awesome photography, great cinematography and full-on action, adventure and excitement - what more could you possibly ask for in one movie? This action packed western is fast-paced and insanely entertaining. The music was just stunning and effectively propelled some scenes forward. The entire production was simply brilliant.Although not always realistic, this is the most fun I've ever had with a movie. Some of the action scenes are just jaw-dropping! Byung-Hun Lee in particular was very convincing as The Bad. It is impossible not to be entertained!

SnoopyStyle It's the wild desolate Manchuria in early WWII. Chief of Japanese Imperial Bank Kanemaru is on a train with a map to find a Qing Dynasty treasure. Yoon Tae-goo, The Weird (Song Kang-ho) holds him up and steals the map. Park Chang-yi, The Bad (Lee Byung-hun) has been hired to steal the map and stops the train to find Yoon escaping with it. Park Do-won, The Good (Jung Woo-sung) is a bounty hunter tracking Park Chang-yi.This has crazy action and the desert spaghetti western style. Song Kang-ho is fun as always. The action is outrageous. It does get a bit confused with so many people coming after the map. Confusion aside, this remains a fun action-packed weird western.

Jake Flagrant I normally wouldn't feel the need to leave negative comments on a film, but the fact that this is so highly lauded makes me feel the need to ask....what the hell are people smoking?? I watched this film several years ago at a Korean film festival, on the big screen, and I remember how furious I was that I wasted my time with this piece of crap over something far more worthwhile.First of all, the plot is basically non-nonsensical. Looking back, I can remember something about a train, a guy on a motorcycle, a cowboy...and that's about it. Now, I'm totally fine with a film that highlights character, atmosphere, style, action - whatever - over plot. But this only works if the aforementioned things are actually engaging. But alas...all we are left with is simply a mess.Which brings me to the action. This movie is very much in the anti-physics style of Michael Bay wherein we have no idea where or how things are happening. They. Just. Do. The average shot length seems to be about half a second. I found it all incredibly lame and dull. There's simply no continuity of action. It's like taking random words from a novel and mixing them up. It doesn't make a story.As for the acting, the soundtrack, etc., I honestly can't remember a single detail.Don't make the mistake I did. There are so many great films in the world to watch instead of this pile of crap. 1/10

Sean Lamberger This self-dubbed "kimchee western" wears its inspiration on its sleeve, throws caution to the wind and just goes for it. And, unexpectedly, it's an almost-unanimous success. Although it's spiced by a fresh, eastern sense of direction and a series of "did they really just try that" camera angles, the mood feels right, the scenery looks right and the cast is right at home on horseback with their weapons drawn, cocked and pointed. It's much gorier than the Leone classics it tries to emulate, which makes it a bit less serious, but the three leads make up for that with their performances. Woo-sung Jung (The Good) is the standout, channeling Lee Van Cleef's lawful bounty hunter in Fistful of Dollars, but Kang-ho Song (The Weird) keeps him in good company with his impersonation of Eli Wallach's smarter-than-he-seems rogue from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Byung-hun Lee (The Bad) seems more like Prince in cowboy boots than a western gunman, but he does more to make the role his own than the others. A fine blend of big-budget action and last-generation western ethos, it's just a bit long and the constant winks and nods to The Man With No Name trilogy occasionally wear thin.