If you don't count Spaghetti Westerns, this is definitely my favorite foreign Western. It takes place during the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in the 1930's, right before the start of WWII. Despite the title, it is NOT a ripoff of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The plots are only slightly similar, as there is a good guy, a bad guy, and a guy who is somewhere in between, and they're all looking for treasure.
Great action sequences, great cinematography, and a great cast. Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. The actor who plays the "bad" guy is very recognizable, as he shows up in a lot of American movies these days. A serious throwback to the Hollywood days of old; there are plenty of cool stunts and very real explosions, instead of it being all CG like most American movies today. There is limited use of CGI, such as the bird of prey at the beginning of the movie, which is really the only thing that bothered me. The big chase sequence toward the end of the movie is reminiscent of the final chase in The Road Warrior. Rival gangs, the main characters and the Japanese military all get in the mix.
Overall I enjoyed this movie so much that I have watched it several times. I had it on DVD when it was first released and I recently bought the Bluray. I have seen this movie show up on more than one "Greatest 50 Westerns" lists. Don't miss this movie if you enjoy Westerns! I'm not sure if there is an English dub; I've only watched with subtitles.
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