'Kimchi Western' film will hit theaters in Japan

The Korean blockbuster "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" based on a spaghetti Western and labeled a "Kimchi Western" after the nation's signature spicy dish, is expected to entertain moviegoers in Japan soon.

Come this summer, the film, directed by internationally-acclaimed director Kim Ji-woon, will be released in Japan on Aug. 29.

The movie will be screened at over 100 theaters, including popular theaters that attract the largest audiences in Japan, like T-Joy Shinjuku Wald 9 and Toho Cinemas Chanter.

Japan's Show Gate and Korea's CJ Entertainment are jointly handling the distribution, marking it the first time a Korean firm has ever formed a consortium with a foreign distributor for a local film's overseas release.

The story line of the comedy film inspired by Italian director Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" follows three Korean men and their entanglement with the Japanese army, Chinese and Russian bandits, and is filled with many exciting action scenes set in Manchuria in the 1930s.

It made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last year and topped the box office sales, attracting 6.8 million viewers at home in 2008.

The movie was also released in the United States at the beginning of this year.

The director of the film was awarded the Best Director award at the 41st Sitges International Film Festival in Spain last October.

For those who missed out on a chance to watch "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" in theaters, the film is now available on DVD in Korea with English subtitles.

By Han Aran
Korea.net Staff Writer