Walk Down Memory Lane with Jung Woo Sung in The Good, The Bad, The Weird
Athena: Goddess of War will be premiering in about T-minus twelve hours. Yes, fifteen years and countless movies later, Jung Woo Sung returns to the K-drama screen in what is likely the most expensive drama ever produced. I have low expectations that the story will be stellar, but I have high expectations that I will love it regardless. In honor of his return to the small screen, I hereby present a picspam post of Jung Woo Sung in The Good, The Bad, The Weird (with Lee Byung Hun and Song Kang Ho). TGTBTW is one of the most entertaining Korean movies I’ve seen in a long time, and the well-played aspects of the movie outweigh its too-ambitious aspirations.
Jung Woo Sung plays a bounty hunter (the Good), who has been hired to retrieve a treasure map that will likely tip the scales of the Sino-Japanese occupation in the dawning years of World War II. Song Kang Ho (the Weird) is the bumbling thief who is currently in possession of said map. And Lee Byung Hun (the Bad), is the vainglorious psychopath hired by the Japanese to retrieve the map before the Chinese get their hands on it. What ensues is a cat-and-mouse chase across the Manchurian desert, culminating in a three-way showdown at a deserted oil refinery.
It’s by no means my favorite Jung Woo Sung movie, but he was by far his most kick-ass incarnation in this movie. His outfit: the hat, the breeches, the boots, the trenchcoat, his scarf, his smirk, and of course, his rifle – all are forever iconic images in my mind when I conjure up Jung Woo Sung is awesome images.
One of the coolest scenes in the entire movie – Jung Woo Sung vs the Japanese army, one horse, one rifle (set to the song “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbdkn3MOBic]
The official trailer for TGTBTW:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SukNDHx4Qs8]
Jung Woo Sung is one of the few leading men in Korean movies that can do action and make it feel believable and an extension of his body language. He can also do melo-angst and make you weep when he cries those manly tears. I have an inkling that both talents will be needed in abundance in Athena.
That last picture is something else!
I know. Isn’t it? Plus that picture of him riding the horse against the setting sun. Sometimes I have a hard time breathing when I watch him.
His being the stalker/assasin in Daisy will always live in me…
:SQUEES:
OMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMO!!!
:INCOHERENT BRAIN:
ATHENA.ATHENA.ATHENA!
I loved the good the bad the weird.
hehe I watch this movie over Thanksgiving. Plot-wise not too much. Action-wise…a lot of action. good cinematography.
Sometimes I got confused as to what I was watching…but in the end I think I understood: everyone set out with a purpose (whether it’s good or bad). ^_^
All the chasing…that Jung Woo-sung did was to find the brutal man who cut fingers. Only that this man was with him the entire time and he didn’t know.
I like the twist in the end 🙂
TGTBTW made me a fan of The Bad. I am nothing if not predictable in these things. But even being a fan of The Bad, I skimmed through IRIS for him and TOP – pretty much zapped through the middle section. I just couldn’t take the rest.
I’ll give Athena a try for The Good and CSW, but I’m hoping for a better script.
Dear Ockoala,
Thanks for posting about “The Good, The Bad,The Weird”. I think this movie is remake of American movie “The Good, The Bad,The Ugly”. Am I right?????
But if it is, good to see in Korea Version. I did not know Lee BH in that movie, because I have seen most of his movies.
I like his acting since I had seen Kdrama “All In” and “Beautiful Days”.
I know now Jung Woo Sung because of Kdrama “Athena” U did post about it. I am looking forword to see Athena and to read your awesome recap.
P.S
Your new header is nice, are u welcoming “Athena” in advance….because M3 has not over yet. But good to see something new.
*clears throat*
First off, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly is not American (it’s actually ‘Il buono, il brutto e il cattivo’). It’s an Italian movie by Sergio Leone, the father of the Spaghetti-western subgenre; true, American actors starred in the movie, but the the writers/director and everything was made in Italy. And hm, yes, I think the good, the bad, the weird could be seen like a remake, but I’d like to think is more of an hommage to Sergio Leone.
@Koala
Dude, you have no idea what that scene with LSW riding his horse and shooting did to me. It’s the one scene I rewatched a million times because OMGUH SO hot. I ride a little, meaning I can only trot and no way I can imagine what galloping means, but zomg, seeing LSW doing his thing without even holding the reins, I was like *___* I may have drooled, no kidding.
@sere
Thanks u for your clarify about The good, The bad, The urgly.
It is good to know, that movie was quiet famous at the time. I had seen on TV long ago.
A great post without any doubt.