The Good, the Bad, the Weird - Arrow Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Three outlaws converge in the opening scenes of The Good, the Bad, the Weird in pursuit of a map said to lead to great riches. Park Chang-yi, “The Bad” (Lee Byung-hun), is a professional hitman and expert killer. Yoon Tae-goo, The Weird (Song Kang-ho, Parasite), is a thief who has made off with the map. Park Do-won, “The Good” (Jung Woo-sung), is a bounty hunter with his sights set on Tae-goo.

While it would be easy to explain The Good, the Bad, the Weird as a South Korean take on Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western classic, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, it’s less of a remake and more of an homage to the genre as a whole. The basic plot is there: Three men, all outlaw types who live by their own rules, catch wind of a treasure, and they’re in a race against each other to find it first. But this is really just a starting point for a movie that, while unique from a storytelling perspective, is rich in its knowledge of film history. It’s almost like a quilt, with each patch comprising an element from a specific type of film, and when woven together, it represents an intricate, complex artwork that stands on its own merits.

Much like the patches in its quilt of a narrative, so too are the elements of diverging timelines. The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a western, in that there are men wearing dusters, riding horses, and firing revolvers at each other. It is also set in 1939, right before the start of WWII, with an Imperial Japan encroaching on the rest of Asia in a quest for domination. In one terrific sequence, that feels inspired by the climax of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we have a chase scene with Mongolians on horseback, wielding swords, fighting against our trio of antiheroes, who are all doing their best to dodge machine gun fire mounted on 20th-century automobiles.

Some of my favorite westerns are less about the magic of the west, but about the end of an era. The Wild Bunch was about the end of the Wild West, as these aging bandits transition into the 1900s. All around them are the machines of the future, while they feel like a relic of the past. The men of The Good, the Bad, the Weird know that their days are numbered, but they continue because this is the only life they’ve ever known. The combination of old world and new world, and East-meets-West cinema, combined with Asian filmmaking technique, is just as irresistible. While reminiscent of countless westerns, it also shares a lot with films like the Once Upon a Time in China series, or Jackie Chan’s Project A movies.

If this all sounds like a lot of dull, self-satisfied referential filmmaking, it’s anything but. The Good, the Bad, the Weird is nonstop action, with bullets flying, knives slicing through the air, and explosions galore. It’s a thrill ride, from beginning to end. Exciting and funny in equal measure, movies like The Good, the Bad, the Weird represent storytelling at its purest and most fun. The sky is the limit to its imagination.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
The Good, the Bad, the Weird gallops onto 4K UHD Blu-ray from Arrow Video in a two-disc release. Both the Korean theatrical version and a shorter “international” version are available on the first disc, both in 4K/HDR, while the second Blu-ray disc contains special features. The case contains a reversible sleeve featuring both original artwork plus newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh. Inside is a collector’s book featuring writing by Darcy Paquet, Kyu Hyun Kim, Cho Jae-whee, and Ariel Schudson, three postcard-sized artcards, and a double-sided fold-out poster.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird is presented in 4K from a director-approved master and graded in Dolby Vision HDR. Look, I’m kind of stingy with my five-star ratings. For me, I save the five stars for items that are exemplary, that I want to look to as an example of something. A pristine version of whatever I’m looking for. And so, I’m giving a five-star rating to the video presentation of The Good, the Bad, the Weird because it’s absolutely demo-worthy. The film was originally shot on 35mm film, and it maintains that distinct, filmic look with some organic grain present throughout. Details are razor sharp. And colors are so brightly, vividly, and intricately realized, it’s a perfect case study for the capabilities of HDR grading. There are many shots in the film that are focused on a character, with multiple colored lights all eliciting a different feeling, all used at once. A warm red or orange on the front of the face, haloed in a cold blue, with a neon purple in the background to accent, and to add depth and contrast.

Just as intricate and demo-worthy as the video presentation is the film’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 surround mix, which is active throughout the feature. Rear and side speaker activity is constant, through musical score, ambient effect, and mayhem during action-packed sequences. Front soundstage activity is detailed and precise—a single gunfire sound effect will sharply explode, echo to the side and rear speakers, as we also hear a distinct thuck! sound as the bullet hits its intended target. It's a brilliant, balletic volley of sound and fury. The subwoofer also rumbles liberally through frequent use of LFEs, whether it’s the sound of horse hooves or a massive explosion. Dialogue clarity is never lost and is always favored, even during the most chaotic moments.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird has a robust offering of features, both old and new, including two versions of the film: The extended, theatrical version released in South Korea and a shorter version for international release that has a more ambiguous ending.

4K Disc

• Introduction - Kim Jee-woon (HD 1:29)
• Audio Commentary – Director Kim Jee-woon and actors Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung (International Cut)
• Audio Commentary – Director Kim Jee-woon, cinematographer Lee Mogae, lighting director Oh Seung-chul, and art director Cho Hwa-sung (Korean Version)
• Audio Commentary - Film critic James Marsh and film critic and producer Pierce Conran (International Cut)

Blu-ray Disc

• Corralling Chaos in the Desert (HD 25:56) - Interview with director Kim Jee-woon
• Dusty Dust-ups and Sweaty Saddles (HD 14:51) - Interview with martial arts coordinator Jung Doo-hong
• Archival Featurettes
• Running Fast (SD 1:30:26)
• The Good, the Bad, the Weird and the Vicious (SD 15:55)
• Analogue (SD 13:36)
• Space (SD 10:29)
• Sound (SD 10:56)
• Movie/Storyboards Comparison (SD 14:15)
• Behind the Scenes Featurette (SD 15:03)
• Making-of #1 (SD 3:23)
• Making-of #2 (SD 1:03)
• Interviews
• Kim Jee-woon (SD 3:15)
• Song Kang-ho (SD 2:42)
• Lee Byung-hun (SD 2:58)
• Jung Woo-sung (SD 2:47)
• Cannes Highlight Reel (SD 3:02)
• Deleted Scenes (SD 43:55)
• Alternate Scene (SD 0:47)
• Alternate Endings
• Trailers
• Photo Gallery

The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a lot of fun. It’s a combination of genres and filmmaking techniques, combining philosophies and styles into something that’s pure, awesome fun. The plot moves along at breakneck speed, whisking us away to the next adventure, but it does pause long enough for us to enjoy some quiet moments between characters. We understand their motivations, and we understand the world they inhabit, and that the world is moving on without them. Arrow Video’s release has absolutely stellar A/V stats and more special features you could ever possibly imagine. The Good, the Bad, the Weird is Highly Recommended.