Kim Jee-woon’s new film The Good, the Bad, and the Weird attempts to reinvent the traditional western genre. Described by the director as an “Oriental Western” the film meshes hyper-violence with comedy and unusually complex characters. For those who are not familiar with this new genre imagine a backdrop not dissimilar from the post-apocalyptic landscape of  Mad Max, mixed with the characters of a Sergio Leone film and the comedy of Frank Spencer. Already hugely successful in South Korea, Kin Jee-Woon hopes to be able to convert western audiences to his fresh perspective on cinema, here, he explains why…

Dazed Digital: What attracts you to the traditional film narrative of a “western” film? And how do you think Korean and European audiences will respond?
Kim Jee-Woon: To audiences in Europe and America westerns are a familiar genre, but to a Korean audience they are not, so, in a way, I wanted to make it more comfortable and accessible for a Korean audience. I wanted to make a film that reflected the dynamic nature of Korean people. However, as a western film I was worried that it might be slightly outdated, so I had to consider how I would make a traditional narrative more entertaining. I also wanted to make a film that was more fun and exciting than Mad Max.

DD: Who has influenced you filmmaking style and what prompted you to make a film of this nature?
KJW: Sergio Leone is obviously very important for me. I always loved traditional American western films such as High Noon but, for me, they always included too many traditional American values. I then discovered Sergio Leone, which gave me a fresh outlook. In a Sergio Leone film the characters themselves become an integral part of the landscape – emotionally and physically, this is something I wished to convey in The Good, The Bad, and The Weird. Also, the amazing thing in a Sergio Leone film is that every character in the film is essentially a bad guy, even the protagonist. 

DD: What are the main themes that run through your work?
KJW: I’ve always strived to illustrate how people will go to extreme lengths to chase their dreams and desires. In this film, I wanted to show the craziness and madness of these types of characters, each one desperately chasing after his dream. In all of my films I’ve tried to transcend genre barriers, as I’ve never really know what genre to focus on. Hopefully The Good, the Bad and the Weird has succeeded in its ability not to be completely categorised.

DD: The film was shot on location in the Manchurian desert, why was this so important to you?
KJW: China is a land that can be a difficult challenge beyond what you have ever expected but it can give you visuals beyond what you can ever imagine. Manchuria is an immensely multi-cultural landscape with an incredibly rich history so to me the area is fascinating, a perfect backdrop for a film of this nature.

On general release now.