[psycho d]

The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008). Should a western movie shot in Asia be called an eastern??? No matter, this flick transcends such a pigeon-holing and should instead be appreciated on the merits of fantastic fun. Its plot was almost squeezed out of the picture, making room for the wonderful plethora of non-stop, over the top action. The acting was solid on all accounts, with "the Weird" storming past the others, literally and metaphorically stealing the show. Ji-woon's direction was on task in his so-called remake of Sergio Leone's classic, harnessing a story that lightly pays homage to the master whilst creating something that was stand alone originale. The director of photography must have been in heaven, with no lack of occasion to create frenzied madness by way of a rolling reel. As to that, kudos to the use of an actual camera with real action as opposed to the typical hard leaning on action by way of emotionless pixels. The result was heart-pounding purity. With a longish run time, this one will leave one's adrenal glands devoid of any surfeit of adrenalin, and pleasantly so. Merci beaucoup.

Genruk