Finally got a chance to watch The Good, the Bad, the Weird by Ji-woon Kim, last night. I had been waiting for a while for it to come to Netflix, and it was finally available. I saw it on the previews for Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle and was interested in it ever since. I really enjoy films from North Eastern Asia. Directors like Stephen Chow, Ji-woon Kin and Chan-wook Park really have a sense for action and comedic relief.

I feel that this region has been very under appreciated in the realms of the film world. Most people think of Eastern European directors when considering great directors. Names like Fellini, Truffaut, Godard, and Bergman are some the first names you come across when you first dive into “Art House” pictures. However, one can’t look past perhaps the greatest director of all, Akira Kurosawa, whose influence inspired me to discover other North Eastern Asia filmmakers.

Modern filmmakers from the region bring a mix of blockbuster Hollywood, traditional kung fu and comedy to their films. Instead of modern American action films, which create over-the-top characters with overly-produced visuals, films from this region bring archetypal characters with relatable flaws, and are put together in a well-planned and designed opera of film making.