Classic Movies: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

By Jason Haskins

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the third film in the Man With No Name trilogy started by director Sergio Leone in 1964. It is widely considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made—hell, one of the best films to grace screens. There is no question how influential this film was not only in terms of the genre, but composition—easily one of Leone’s finest visual films.

Eastwood plays Blondie (the Good), who is partners with a wanted criminal named Tuco (the Ugly) who run scams on the authorities. After Blondie severs their ‘opportunistic friendship’, Tuco will stop at nothing to kill him—leading him into the desert in pursuit of leaving him there to die. They come across a carriage full of dead Civil War Confederate soldiers with a lone survivor, who tells of a load of buried treasure in an old cemetery.

Tuco must keep Blondie alive for only Blondie knows where the actual gold is hidden, which shakes up the dichotomy of the movie even more—two men with an intense dislike of each other must band together to find the treasure and outrun a hit man (Angel Eyes: The Bad) Tuco spilled the beans to after an unruly interrogation…

Everything about this movie screams quality. Eastwood gives another tremendous cold performance with a slight dash of playfulness that we all know and love. Eli Wallach as Tuco actually steals the movie for me as he provides so much comedic value at times (especially teamed with Eastwood) and he adds so much character to the movie. Lee Van Cleef plays Angel Eyes, who’s not as utilized as he should, but gives a great performance no matter how shortly he’s in the film.

Sergio Leone’s attention to detail is clearly evident here where almost every damn scene looks like an elegant painting. Textures are prevalent and seep quality everywhere mixed with dynamic editing and a keen sense of space. The climax at the cemetery contains some of the prettiest imagery I’ve ever seen in a Western—the Italian landscapes used here are just as gorgeous as John Ford’s Monument Valley and just as iconic.

The only thing that takes away from this experience is the fact that the film is just shy of three hours in length. I’m a patient movie watcher, but this is a definitely a movie you have to commit to. However, …at the same time, the movie works so well altogether that anything left out would be a shame. Overall, you should set aside the afternoon if you’re going to check it out. What’s great is that no parts of the film are boring because of how exciting the movie is.

Of course, I can’t forget to mention Ennio Morricone’s intelligent and fun score, a classic if there ever was one. The ‘wah wah wahs’ and whistling sections match the whole atmosphere of the movie extremely well. His themes are right on the money and help the movie further in terms of storytelling and suspense. If you’ve never seen this film you’re in for a treat because they certainly don’t make films like this anymore. Sergio Leone was a genius and I have to say this was the crowning achievement of his career.

5 out of 5 stars