4 out of 5

Director: Ji-Woon Kim

I disliked this movie when I first saw it.  Why the change of heart?  Well, there wasn’t a change, so much as a commitment to make my way through it.  I still think that The Good, the Bad, the Weird is a bit of a mess – similar to the original, come to think of it – but whereas the Leone version has an established partnership and history to work around, Ji-woon Kim has made a career out of genre hopping, so you just don’t quite know what to expect… thus, when the film strikes a comedic/action chord from the get-go, it’s confusing when it switches gears to become a more legit adventure movie for the majority of its runtime.  Which seems like a small distinction, but it exists nonetheless, and it isn’t until well until the film when the genre collision of remake and original, action and drama, comedy and action, becomes a bit clearer, or more acceptably blended.  Overall – kill me for saying it – this wraps around to be more successful than its inspiration, thanks to, perhaps, a bigger budget, but also a more intelligent script that blends plot / period elements to help assist its players get where they’re going instead of just sort of extending the movie’s runtime.  It’s not as directly effective as Kim’s other movies, but becomes more rewarding upon repeated views.