Korean Western ‘Good’ Enough for IFC

IFC Films seems to be cornering the market on South Korean blockbusters. After snagging the rights to 2008’s current box office champ The Chaser they’ve gone and picked up the most anticipated release of the year, Ji-woon Kim’s spaghetti western The Good, the Bad, and the Weird.

Set in 1930s Japanese occupied Manchuria, the $11 million pic follows three hard-riding bandits who discover a treasure map promising untold riches. Unfortunately for them, the Army of National Independence is mistakenly lead to believe the thugs are in possession of a secret map detailing plans for a new railway being built by the Japanese army. Suffice it to say both factions come to blows in bloody fashion. Starring Korean megastars Woo-sung Jun (The Good), Byung-hun Lee (The Bad) and Kang-ho Song (The Weird), the film is a love letter to Sergio Leone’s classic The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly with a blend of frenetic action and humor.

The picture had a gala premiere in May at Cannes in a still rough cut. The final cut hitting Korean theatres today is 12 minutes longer, reinstating a cameo by Ji-won Eom along with adding more character and plot development. Most significantly, the climactic showdown is less ambiguous (not sure if that’s a good thing). Tracking on the film has been through the roof with pre-sales implying a massive box office hit going into the local holiday weekend. This is welcome news for an industry that has been struggling over the last couple of years due primarily to a combination of lousy product and the government’s decrease in domestic film quota.

Korean major CJ Entertainment is handling both the domestic release and international sales for the film. IFC is currently planning to platform the kimchi adventure sometime in the first half of next year with hopes of expansion after. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the picture popped up on the company’s IFC in Theatres VOD service.