The film the Good the Bad the Weird appeared to me as if it was a film which was made before the threat of war. Due to the anxiety of the approaching war people pursued modernization, not only in pursuit of militarization but for a better life. The people looked toward modernization to save them from the bleak lifestyle they were victim to. Many people also moved from their small hometowns to the big city for a brighter future. Unfortunately, they were just escaping small town problem to encounter big city problems. This reminds me of a quote from the film, when the Good guy says “life is about chasing and being chased there is no end to it.” Much like in The Weird’s situation, he is chasing a better future and a better life only to be chased by the problems of his past (The Bad). The Weird (Park) moves to Manchuria believing that it is a land of opportunity, but instead finds a place just as troubled as Korea. He still looks to the future for salvation, perhaps in America, as he suggests to his grandmother.
I also found it interesting how to The Weird the higher evil force was somewhat ambiguous. In the final scenes when he is being chased by the Japanese, the Mongolians, and the Bad guy’s forces all of the parties fuse together almost looking as if they were one force. He even said “for folks like us it’s the same living under nobility and living under the Japanese.” We are shown that this somewhat “modern” society is filled with corrupt people who are not easily identified as Japanese or Korean or Mongolian. The original ancestry and allegiance of many of the characters is ambiguous, and puts nationality lower down on the level of importance. It is a story of the Good guys against the Bad guys, which is very fitting with the western cowboy setting.
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