The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo.) Reviews

I may be a sucker for Western films, but this one truly lives up to it's spaghetti western feel. Clint Eastwood is great as always, and this time as the man with no name, he pulls off a haunting character who, even though is tagged as "good," may not have a complete absence of bad. "The Good the Bad and the Ugly" essentially follows three men who will eventually meet on the same hunt for gold, which is buried in an unknown gravesite with an unknown gravestone. The film revolves around the answers leading up to the finding. While it is a tad long, this film had far too much going for it for that to be a fault. I absolutely loved this movie! Great direction, great cinematography, and the screenplay made the film extremely engaging!

The final part of "the man with no name" trilogy sees Clint competing with his erstwhile partner and a coldly vicious mercenary for some buried stolen loot. The remarkable thing about Leone's series is the fact that even the best film trilogies (ie The Godfather, the original Star Wars et al) good as they were, never quite captured the magic of the original. Leone's however began brilliantly, and just kept getting better. The trio are introduced in highly effective opening scenes once again, often using only eye contact and body language to convey their personalities; it's actually 10 full minutes into the film before a single syllable is uttered. Leone continues the theme of the old west as an environment of "every man for himself" as the characters are constantly backstabbing and lying to each other, even "the good" is an immoral con man who betrays his partner as soon as it is convenient (but I guess "The bad, the bad and the bad" didn't have the same ring to it!) All of this is set to a backdrop of the American Civil war which is treated in a way that has far more in common with Apocalypse Now than John Ford. The scene in which a drunken Union captain prays for the destruction of a vital bridge to end the carnage is particularly memorable. But it is Eli Wallach's Tuco that virtually steals the film out from under Clint; his immoral and cowardly double crosser brings a lot of humour to the film and was surely a big influence on Johnny Depp whilst creating the character of Captain Jack. My only gripe is that Morricone's otherwise excellent score gets a little sappy in the middle, but I suppose that's really just a matter of taste. A clear contender for the best western ever made.

One of the best films I ever saw!. Fresh.

The definitive Italian western.The most epic of all Leone's films. Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef and Clint Eastwood all are brilliant but Leone's camera is the real star of this classic.

Sergio Leone not only turned his classic "Dollars trilogy" around with a great final part, but he also managed to create one of the greatest films ever made. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has always been one of my favorite films, and for good reason. There are things about it that would definitely rub the critically inclined, like myself, the wrong way. Thankfully, none of that seems to matter in this film. I feel transported everytime I see it. The dirt and the grit seep out of every pore of every frame of film. It's also superbly acted, especially from Eastwood who gives one of his greatest performances (rarely topped). There's also the wonderful Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef rounding out the film's namesake characters. This is just a perfect entry into the Spaghetti Western genre. The iconic score (by the eminent Ennio Morricone), the beautiful images and the great storyline make it one of the all time greats.

Classic western film. Loved it! "If you're gonna shoot, don't talk, shoot."Well I obviously watched the director's cut (I didn't realize this until I heard a bit of the commentary... I actually thought the film had been THAT long) and though I think I should've watched the "normal version" first, I absolutely loved this movie. Why? Well first off, there's Clint Eastwood (the Good) who played a character named Blondie, who by the way was not exactly blond in my opinion, but was absolutely badass and I don't even need to mention handsome. Then there were the showdowns. Phew! I think you can actually sweat while you watch those parts. And finally, the "When you have to shoot, don't talk, shoot" which is a very good lesson for all the bad guys of the world who always feel the need to reveal the way they got to the top and how now they're going to take over the world, blah, blah, blah and the hero, being, of course, smarter and wiser, kills him while he talks. An even better thing about this film is that everyone here is a bad guy and we see none of those repertories before a guy is going to shoot someone, thank you very much. Not only that but I also learned that there's always two kinds of people in this world, my friend...

Everything Sergio Leone did before 1966 built up to The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. A Fistful Of Dollars and For A Few Dollars More steadily increased the epic western that Leone envisioned until he released what is probably his greatest creation and the film that sealed Clint Eastwood's star power.

As gritty as its predecessors, The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly is set during the Civil War as the title trio goes on the hunt for $200,000 dollars in stolen gold. The Good is Blondie, played by Eastwood as he reprises his Man With No Name character. The Bad is Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), a cold blooded killer who happens upon the gold story while working for another man. The Ugly is Tuco (Eli Wallach), a degenerate criminal hell bent on getting vengeance on Blondie, but is forced to change his tune when Blondie gains the key information to the hidden gold. The quest for gold begins in front of the back drop of the Civil War as battles impede the movement toward the buried coins and the gritty, bombed out towns serve as a refuge to the treasure hunters.

This is the third and final film in the Dollars trilogy and shows how popular and profitable Leone's vision had become. Given a larger budget for TGTBATU, Leone builds a larger world than in any previous dollars film. As in the others the west is a dirty place where there are no cowboys in black and white, just everyone wearing a shade of gray. The Good really isn't very good, he's just a man in his element.



Of course all of the Leone trademarks are present; the close ups and the grand vistas borrowed from John Ford. It's a drastic change from the almost crystal clean westerns of decades before. Is it realistic? Probably not, but life appears a lot closer to real human nature than other westerns. Survival of the fittest is the main theme in these films.



When looking at the cast the three leads are perfect. Eastwood's character is obviously a very good rehash from the previous dollars films, but Eli Wallach's Tuco is a sight to be believed. He appears to be bungling, but is actually way ahead when you really delve deeper into his character. "If you're going to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." The real switch is Lee Van Cleef, who played the fatherly Mortimer in For A Few Dollars More. In TGTBATU he is one of cinemas first natural born killers. A professional at what he does in every sense of the word.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly has a legacy that has followed it since its release almost two generations ago. The west got harsher. The line between good and bad became blurred, bringing on a decade of the anti-hero. This film still influences directors and writers throughout the world. It is a masterpiece of film making with a story that is epic. Not only one of the greatest westerns ever made, one of the greatest films ever made.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is the conclusion to the Man With No Name Trilogy, and is in my opinion the greatest western ever made (next to the 2010 True Grit). The Good (Clint Eastwood), The Bad (Lee Van Cleef), and The Ugly (Eli Wallach) are three men, greedy and selfish men in the west during the time of American Civil War. All three get caught in trying to find confederate gold, and will kill eachother for it. The plot is much more than it sounds, its a journey through the west as we see the true violence, terror, beauty, hate, and sadness that the world was really like in that time, espically in the west. Clint Eastwood is one of the most famous actors and directors in history, and we get to see him at his best in his golden days when he was a big rising star, and just having a star like him in this makes it feel even greater because we're not watching a old western film with some random actors, we're watching the king of westerns at his greatest. Eli Wallach is amazing as well, he plays one of the cheatiest and stupididest people there is, and he fits the role to perfection. Lee Van Cleef scared me as a kid, he played a ruthless bastard who was always one step ahead and he always played a great role with a straight face that made him one of the most remembered actors ever by being in this film. The music in this film is its trademark, when people remember this film they sing the famous and amazingly made score that people remember to this day, and the rest of this music is tremendous as well. The production of the film is great, they really tried hard to make this a spaghetti western. There never was a moment that we are not supposed to watch because every moment is important to get the full feel of the film, and this is why The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is the most famous western (and one of the most famous films) of all time.

Gosh, where to start... This movie simply demands to be seen and revered. Sergio Leone's direction is at once playful and completely timeless, the comedy is ironic and pitch-black, and the performances are stellar. And the Ennio Morricone score... that man can do no wrong. A modern marvel.

Great acting, great script and some amazing direction. Full review later.

Simply stunning. The original three-part chase (eat your heart out, No Country For Old Men fans), Leone's final instalment in the Man With No Name trilogy is far and away the best one. This may be a perfect film. Take the already established operator Eastwood and singularly-focussed Van Cleef, then throw in an outstanding performance by Eli Wallach as Tuco, the man who - even more so than the above two, in the first two films - will do anything for a buck (or $200,000, in this case).

The score is the best of Morricone's three, and could probably tell the story by itself. The cinematography is colourful and lively and at the same shows the desolation in which this story. And in the middle is an encounter between Tuco and his brother that, in about four minutes of film, is one of the most subtle and profound meditations on loneliness I've ever seen. In fact, it explains the whole trilogy, each of the main characters, and maybe even the cultural figure of the lone rider that's become so prevalent in our art. (Recall Eastwood, who said around the time he made Unforgiven that of late, all movies are Westerns.)

Now, add in a little touch of politics and history - the Civil War is ongoing - and a few good gun battles, especially the film's climax, and you have an absolute masterpiece. Up there with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as the best Western I've ever seen, and maybe the out-and-out best movie I've ever seen. A must, must, must. Beautiful piece of art that's often imitated but will never, ever be duplicated. Stunning.

Sadly not the masterpiece I was hoping it to be, but still a beautifully directed and memorable Western (altough I am of the opinion that movies like 3:10 to Yuma, Tombstone, and Unforgiven rank somewhat above it). All the same, I can understand now why it made Eastwood into such an icon; seeing as he did have a respectable aura of coolness here that few actors has ever come close to.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is one of my favorite Westerns. Sergio Leone has crafted a film of superb scope. Eli Wallach, Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef deliver strong performances. This is one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Sergio Leone directs this film with style and every shot is superbly crafted and rich in detail. Leone was a master of his craft, and his talents would ultimately culminate with Once Upon A Time In The West. But The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, remains one of his greatest achievements as a director and was a taste of what was to come. A film that has stood the test of time, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is a well crafted film with terrific acting and superb sets. One of the performances that really stood out for me was Eli Wallach as Tuco. Wallach portrays the character with amusing cruelty. Clint Eastwood gives also a great performance as Blondie. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is not a small film by any means. In one long scene, Blondie and Tuco find themselves in a battle with Confederate, and the film almost becomes a totally new story, a film within a film. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is a masterpiece of cinema and this film is quite possibly the greatest film ever made. Sergio Leone was a masterful storyteller, and with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly he created one of two defining Western films, the other being of course Once Upon A Time In The West. Both films elevated the stature of the Western genre and broke new ground as films in general. Both films went where other Westerns never ventured. Leone classic film is historically rich and it conveys a sense of accuracy not seen in previous Western films. While Hollywood's Western is clean, good looking with every cliche about the West imaginable. Sergio Leone's West is raw, gritty, ugly and just as nasty as you picture the Wild West to be. Leone redefined the genre, and used the typical Hollywood cliches of old to his own advantage. Hollywood may have invented the Western genre, but Sergio Leone perfected it. What you have here in The, The Bad and The Ugly is a Western that completely redefined the genre and perfected it. This is a film that only Sergio Leone could make, a work of sheer brilliance that remains one of the greatest films ever made in the history of cinema.

If I could think of one film that sums up everything I ask for when I see a movie, this would be it. Not only is it the greatest western ever made and Sergio Leone's masterpiece, but I would say it is absolutely the greatest movie ever made. Most, if not all films have flaws in some way or another, whether it is small or large. In a lot of cases it is either the plot or the execution of the plot. Actors, directors, whatever the case may be. With a lot of Hitchcock's work it is the incredibly fake backdrops and with Lynch it is the bizarre and alienating nature of his films. With The Good, The Bad, &The Ugly there are no flaws or room for disagreement. It is a movie that anyone and everyone can enjoy and appreciate. You don't have to be a fan of westerns or even a big fan of movies for it to be enticing to you.





Very few might argue that the plot isn't all that complicated, but completely disagree. Does a film need to have an obvious baffling plot or series of unanswered questions to be thought provoking? Not at all. In fact, I don't think that should be any film's purpose. Any director should want to give its audience a message and Sergio Leone does that ten fold. He gives us an excellent examination of man and his most obvious flaws. On the surface, yes, it's a movie about treasure and gunslingers. However, with a closer examination there is a lot more going on. You have the end of the civil war going on in the background and a great evaluation of the political state of the west and it's utter apathy toward the situation. You also see the brutal forms of justice going on at the time and the rise of the capitalism we know today.





Then we have three characters that really set the stage for an amazing ride. Tucco is dirty, despicably and greedy. He never has enough of anything and never learns a thing from his actions. Not even when he is left in the desert for dead does he re-examine his ways. For some reason though, he is an incredibly entertaining character to watch. In many ways I believe it is because we all pity Tucco because he is never going to win no matter how hard he tries. Next, there is Angel Eyes who is incredibly deserving of his title as: The Bad. He is evil in every sense of the word. He kills for money, has no sense of honor and spares no expense to cheat someone. Last, but not least in any way is The Man With No Name a.k.a Blondie. In no way is he the good guy, but he is the character that everyone can identify with, admire and even idolize. He is the gunslinger that you wish you could be and is what most western movies tried to produce, but never quite could. He is the birth of the Anti-Hero.




Now when you look at the acting in this movie, you couldn't ask for a better cast to be on screen. Eli Wallach is perfect for Tucco because he just completely embodies the greedy nature of him. You love to watch him continuously make a fool out of himself and fail time and time again. Now I don't care what anyone says, but Lee Van Cleef is the most under-appreciated actor of the genre. He is the face of the Spaghetti western to me. He has done so many great performances, starting with For A Few Dollars More. He has one of the greatest presences on screen, every time he appears on screen I get the chills. Again, last but not least we have Clint Eastwood. This is his one of his many amazing contributions to film. You can tell from the first moment he appears on screen how completely involved he is with becoming Blondie. To say this is his career best would be wrong because he's done so many other great things with his talent. However, this performance is on par with anything he has done. He also happens to be one of the determining factors in why I love this movie so much. Here is someone who loves film, has a giant respect for his craft and storytelling in general. You can do nothing but stand back and be in awe of his presence.




Sergio Leone is in every respect one of the most important directors in film history. He knows what he's doing and know's what his audience wants. He has one of the greatest respects for Hollywood and entertainment. In saying that, all of his movies are something to treasure. He always put 100% into everything he did. The Good, The Bad, &The Ugly takes some small elements and styles from other films, but it is Leone that makes this a perfect piece of cinema. He manipulates the camera and presents you into to this world that is completely believable and downright fantastical. It's like watching a movie when you're a kid. Everything disappears around you and you're taken to another person's imagination.

The basic story of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is actually a simple treasure hunt,. It is a plot with endless, unexpected twists and turns, making this movie a highly entertaining experience.
has to be clints best movie ever!!!

This is how you spell cinematic perfection: Sergio Leone.

I was battling weather to give this movie a 4 ½ or 5, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Once you get that high in my books, itâ??s pretty much the same. The movie was amazing and was one of the best western movies I have seen. It runs three hours and although it did feel long, it wasnâ??t a bad thing. I kept on wanting to follow the characterâ??s journey to the end and find out what was going to happen, regardless of how long it took. The acting was great and the soundtrack was phenomenal. It added to the films mood immensely.

This film obviously has inspired many modern filmmakers today (Rodriguez, Tarantino, among others) and I had to keep on reminding myself that this film was made in 1966. I either thought it was made with todayâ??s film techniques or some scenes were actually shot during the civil war time period. It really took me back and followed it up with a great story.

The actors gave dialog in their native tongues and as a result there is a poor voice over synchronization throughout the movie. I found this slightly distracting at times, but it did not deter me from enjoying the film and Sergio Leoneâ??s great filmmaking brilliance shone through. The sweeping panoramic shots were incredible and appealing throughout the film as well.

Although I loved the characters Blondie - The Good, played by Clint Eastwood and Angel Eyes - The Bad, played by Lee Van Cleef; Tuco - The Ugly, played by Eli Wallach had an absolutely great performance and pushed the film to a greater level.

I recommend this film to anyone, who loves movies and even remotely is interesting in the old west.

Without a doubt the best of the three, everything is perfect but it's Eli Wallach who steals the show as far as I'm concerned. Brilliant!

Leone achieves absolute perfection in his third instalment of the Dollar Trilogy, a magnificent epic that features an exciting story, fantastic performances, an unforgettable score and a sublime, breathtaking cinematography.

"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

REVIEW
Sergio Leone during his three decade career crafted five confirmed masterpieces out of the seven films he made total. His films are always profound, personal and meditative on the subject. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly is perhaps his greatest achievement along with Once Upon A Time In America and Once Upon A Time In The West. If one is familiar with the western genre, they would recognize a number of signature camera techniques and music. Leone's film singlehandedly changed the way people viewed the western. The gun by the hand camera shot, the juxtaposed sweeping cinematography and sudden closeups. The iconic film score is a piece of music everyone has heard at one point in their lives even if they do not recognize it as being from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

It is poetic in every sense of the word. Leone's clear passion for the subject shines through in the lovingly crafted sets including an absolutely stunning Civil War sequence which is almost a film in itself. The plot is basically a simple treasure hunt which grows into a violent opera of betrayal, revenge, and greed. Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach share the knowledge of the whereabouts of $200,000 in Civil War blood money. They are partners and friends but they harbor a love/hate relationship and both men would be willing to betray and kill the other if it meant a profit. As a dying Confederate soldier confesses the location of the treasure, through a set of circumstances which I will not reveal, Eastwood (The Good) is given the name of the grave in which the loot is buried and Wallach (The Ugly) finds out where the cemetery is and as such they rely upon each other to be successful in the search. When Lee Van Cleef (The Bad), a ruthless killer and gun for hire, is able to find out where the graveyard containing the treasure is, it turns into a brutal race between the men to reach the treasure.

It stunningly mixes realism and the mythology of the west into an epic that will stand the test of time for years to come and takes its place among classics such as The Godfather and Raging Bull as one of the greatest films of all time.