--- title: "The Good, the Bad, the Weird: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-good-the-bad-the-weird/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-good-the-bad-the-weird" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 10 reviews: 7 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics enjoy The Good, the Bad, the Weird, and the praise gathers almost entirely around its action. Seven of the ten reviews are positive and none is negative. The set-pieces are what the reviews keep returning to: their energy, their scale and the ironic humour that runs through them. The AV Club singles out the climactic chase between horses and motorcycles, and Empire picks out Song Kang-ho’s performance as the Weird as the film’s most entertaining element. The Hollywood Reporter credits the recreated historical setting with giving the spectacle some grounding. The reservations cluster on plot and length. Several critics find the story tangled or hard to follow, The Guardian calls the film over-extended, and Empire is let down by the ending. Collider notes that spectacle wins out over emotional depth. The firmest dissent comes from Slant Magazine, which finds the film inert, its action distended and short on tension. The spread is fairly narrow: a few lukewarm verdicts, nothing hostile. ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating B+. 22 April 2010. Murray finds the film an entertaining, sprawling action adventure, though its plot can be hard to follow and its appeal is mainly for Western buffs. He praises the inventive action sequences, especially the climactic horse-versus-motorcycle chase and the way each action shapes what follows. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-good-the-bad-the-weird-1798164816) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 4/5. 3 February 2009. The four-star rating indicates a positive verdict. The accessible metadata notes Kim Jee-Woon’s success in homegrown genres, but the article text is unavailable to identify a specific point of praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-good-the-bad-the-weird-1) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 2008. Festival review. The critic finds the film an exhilarating, distinctly Korean take on the Western. He praises its energetic action setpieces and the ironic humor that keeps them fresh. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2008/film/markets-festivals/the-good-the-bad-the-weird-1200522089/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 February 2009. French finds the film over-extended but extremely enjoyable, praising its ferocious energy and excess. He singles out its lively blend of Korean western action and influences from Sergio Leone and Indiana Jones. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/07/good-bad-weird-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Maggie Lee Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 June 2008. Festival review. Lee finds the film a jaunty, energetic adventure that builds to a spectacular showdown. She singles out its meticulously recreated historical setting for adding cultural depth and authenticity. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/film-review-good-bad-weird-2-114080/) ## Empire — Dan Jolin Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2009. Jolin finds the film joyous overall, though its tangled story and underwhelming ending detract from the fun. He singles out Song Kang-ho’s entertaining performance as the Weird. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/good-bad-weird-review/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page content is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. No review details are available to summarize reliably. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/movies/26kim.html) ## Slant Magazine — Simon Abrams Rating 2.5/4. 6 April 2010. Abrams argues that the film’s nihilistic approach leaves it inert and unsatisfying. He finds its genre-mixing conceptually fascinating, but criticizes the distended action and lack of tension. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-good-the-bad-and-the-weird/) ## Eye for Film — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2008. Bitel finds the film wildly entertaining and praises its energetic blend of western conventions and genre-bending action. He singles out the spectacular, chaotic set-pieces and the film’s lively tonal shifts. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-good-the-bad-the-weird-film-review-by-anton-bitel) ## Collider — Namwene Mukabwa Fi1m's normalised score 77/100 (inferred from the text). 23 June 2024. The review finds the film an entertaining, refreshingly modern take on the Western, even if it favors spectacle over emotional depth. It especially praises the kinetic action and the colorful visual style blending Western and Eastern cinema. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-good-the-bad-the-weird-western/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-good-the-bad-the-weird.md