A Squid Game Actor Starred In An Underrated Western Inspired By Clint Eastwood

Kim Jee-woon's 2008 action-Western film "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" lives up to all three adjectives in its title. That title was, of course, inspired by Sergio Leone's celebrated 1966 Western "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," a film that starred — in their respective moral roles — Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach. As any cineaste can tell you, Leone's classic, set in 1862, is about its three main characters seeking a hidden cache of Confederate gold that's hidden in a cemetery. The film runs 161 minutes (or 171 if you're watching the director's cut), and it features many violent, picaresque adventures on the way to its famed three-way shootout.

In Kim's film, the three title roles are played by — also respectively — Jung Woo-sun, Lee Byung-hun, and Song Kang-ho, although it takes place in the wilds of Manchuria in 1939 just before the widespread outbreak of World War II. Like Leone's movie, though, "Weird" is largely about the three principles fighting over a buried treasure. This time, it's a map that the "Bad" character attempts to steal from a Japanese train, only to be hoodwinked by the "Weird" character. The Bad (named Park Chun-yi) is soon targeted by the "Good" character (named Park Do-Wan), a pure-hearted bounty hunter more interested in bounty than treasure maps.

The treasure is eventually revealed to be the remnants of the Qing Dynasty, which didn't come to an end until 1912. For "The Good, the Bad, the Weird," the film deals with recent Chinese history and the echoes of Chinese imperialism. This parallels the historical themes of Leone's original, which dealt with the racist history of the U.S. Civil War.

Oh, and did you notice how sexy Lee was? He's the one in the long, black leather jacket, emo hair, and leather finger-holster. You might also know him for his many other roles, including Hwang In-ho in "Squid Game."

Lee, a star in his native Korea, is known by international audiences for projects that extend well beyond the hit Netflix series "Squid Game." He also played the character Storm Shadow in Stephen Sommers' 2009 actioner "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" and Jon M. Chu's 2013 follow-up, "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," in addition to appearing in Kim's 2010 Korean thriller "I Saw the Devil" (a film that attracted a modest following in the U.S.). Lee's other roles include the T-1000 — the central robotic villain — in "Terminator: Genisys" and that of one of the titular seven gunslingers in Antoine Fuqua's "The Magnificent Seven" remake. His handsome face and intense performances have attracted the attention of casting directors all over the world.

"The Magnificent Seven" is Lee's most recent American production at the time of writing, but he has continued to act in Korea, appearing in multiple hit films and TV shows. He only had a small role in the first season of "Squid Game," but became one of the show's main characters for its second. He will also play a crucial role in the third and final season of "Squid Game."

Lee's performance in "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" is memorable for how stylish it is. His sexy black outfit is a delicious invitation for ambitious cosplayers, what with its leather and gloves (combined with Lee's impeccable hair). He handles villainy well, and audiences ache to see his character's comeuppance. One can rent the film online in the U.S., so I shan't reveal the ending, but I will say that it is quite satisfying. It's also a very stylish movie, although its 1939 setting can leave it feeling surreally modern for a Western (with people getting shot off of motorcycles instead of horses). Overall, though, it's a striking film that is certainly worth a look — doubly so if you're a fan of Lee's.