The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

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Directed by Sergio Leone.

Starring Mario Brega, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffré, Rada Rassimov, Eli Wallach, Clint Eastwood.

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In the last and the best installment of his so-called "Dollars" trilogy of Sergio Leone-directed "spaghetti westerns," Clint Eastwood reprised the role of a taciturn, enigmatic loner. Here he searches for a cache of stolen gold against rivals the Bad (Lee Van Cleef), a ruthless bounty hunter, and the Ugly (Eli Wallach), a Mexican bandit. Though dubbed "the Good," Eastwood's character is not much better than his opponents -- he is just smarter and shoots faster. The film's title reveals its ironic attitude toward the canonized heroes of the classical western. "The real West was the world of violence, fear, and brutal instincts," claimed Leone. "In pursuit of profit there is no such thing as good and evil, generosity or deviousness; everything depends on chance, and not the best wins but the luckiest." Immensely entertaining and beautifully shot in Techniscope by Tonino Delli Colli, the movie is a virtually definitive "spaghetti western," rivaled only by Leone's own Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). The main musical theme by Ennio Morricone hit #1 on the British pop charts. Originally released in Italy at 177 minutes, the movie was later cut for its international release. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

The Rarely Recognized Art of th ...
by Smooth_J in Smooth_J Blog

loved it.

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"The idea for this analysis came to mind when I recently saw Bergman's The Seventh Seal. While I was not quite as blown away by the film as most accolades of the film would suggest, I still found it to be an excellent movie, and could see very clearly the influence it has had on so many films that have come after it. The one scene that I especially noticed a direct legacy in later films was a short, almost gimmicky little snippet during the medieval religious cult scene in the town--where the drums are beating loudly, people are screaming in agony as whips crack, and monks and other repenters are carrying enormous crosses on their backs. There is a short string of profile shots: Antonius, Jons, and "The Girl" (the only specific name I could find for her anywhere on the internet). The cuts between the faces are done with the beats of the drums; they are perfectly centered, with mist or smoke rising in the backgrounds, adding to each image's raw, black-and-white imagery; and each f ... " [More]

SUPERB
by critick_chick in critick_chick Blog

loved it.

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"one of the best movies of all time, definately one of my favorites, an instant classic " [More]

Re:Desert Island
by Risselada in Movie Games

loved it.

"Ok, without thinking too hard about it, I'm going to say: The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly Withnail & I Fargo " [More]

Re:More than one trilogy
by leeroy711 in Movie Games

liked it.

"Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry series and The Man With No Name trilogy, (Fistfull of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, Bad and Ugly.) " [More]

This is why I go to film festivals
by unclefestering in unclefestering Blog

loved it.

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"I saw 800 Bullets a couple years ago at the Philadelphia International Film Festival. It was one of those movies that you will either see at a festival or have to seek out on Netflix. The movie is about these out of work actors who had all been stuntmen on the Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns of the 60s and 70s. (A Fistful of Dollars (1964) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)) When the movies stopped filming there, they all lost their careers. They are now left with entertaing ever dwindling numbers of tourists to see them re-enact their old scenes. When they discover that an out of town business is buying the property to turn it into a family amusment park; they decide that this is one injustice too many. Tey buy all the bullets they can afford (800) to hold off the police and save their homes and careers. This movie is funny and touching. Seek it out " [More]

Suspense and stuff
by Smooth_J in Smooth_J Blog

loved it.

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"13 Tzameti is top-notch suspense in almost every aspect. French director Géla Babluani crafts a masterful thriller based on a basically messed up version of Russian Roulette. While the exposition is a little bit slow and drawn out, once the main character (played by George Babluani) starts rolling the film never lets up, drawing you into this depraved world of drugs and violence. Everything is utilized to outstanding effect, such as the big fat sweaty guy asking for a chair, which, in the scene, frustratingly draws out the revelation of the gruesome outcome of one of the rounds. The long, overdrawn beginning is nonetheless very unique in its style and delivery in that it creates a sense of foreboding and the unknown through very minimalist ways, which is usually uncharacteristic of a suspense film. The scenes of George working on the roof of the morphine addict’s house are somehow captivating, and though dull compared with the rest of the work, they keep you intere ... " [More]

Per qualche dollaro in più (For ...
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

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"Per qualche dollaro in più (For a Few Dollars More)Leone begins using many techniques and scenarios that will be replayed in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The reason why it still works, and actually works to perfection in that next movie is because of the more expansive contrasts between the epic and the focused and also because of much more humor. The elements are present in For a Few Dollars More and are enjoyable, but their potential is realized so much more later on. Kind of hard to believe when you realize how great this movie already is.And it has Kinski!Rating: 9/10 " [More]

Per un pugno di dollari (A Fist ...
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

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"Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars)What can I say? This movie started a pretty huge avalanche. Both for Leone's and Eastwood's careers, the budding Spaghetti Western genre, and probably for for European genre movies in full.As probably anyone reading this is already well aware, it's pretty much a close remake of Yojimbo. But some characters are changed both reflecting the time of the American Southwest western where it's set, and Italian film for who it was intended.The movie is enjoyable, with a few quite memorable moments (the gigantic barrel exploding into the bad guys may be my favorite). But it's impossible for me not to think about it as just being the testing waters for the perfection that would eventually come with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. In fact the second movie in this series of sorts, For a Few Dollars More, takes many sequences and styles of this movie and gets them to a more finalized state that are basically rehashed again ... " [More]

Violence in movies...
by Dr_Gor in Violence on film

loved it.

"There are certain movies that are all about the violence! (insert your favorite horror movie here) And then there are some which are more 'drama' but with at least one or two really violent scenes for an 'attention-grabber' . In other words, in some cases the violence helps to tell the story, and in other cases, the violence IS the story... here are some examples... The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and ALL of the Clint Eastwood westerns ... Up to, and including, Unforgiven ... ALL of the Bruce Lee movies and most of the Steven Segal movies and Jean Claude Van Damme and Don 'the dragon' Wilson and Jeff Speakman , etc ... No. My favorite violent movies are the ones about real warriors... THAT is what it's all about! Movies like The Warriors and The Wild Bunch and The Magnificent Seven and The 13th Warrior and 300 are excellent examples of movies which are all about the violence... not to mention the Kill Bill ... " [More]

Django
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

loved it.

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"DjangoSince The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is my favorite movie of all time, I try to occasionally seek out more spaghetti westerns, but other than Leone's other movies I haven't been able to find anything that comes close.I suppose that is because it's ultimately an exploitation genre. Not that I can't enjoy movies of those genres, but because they were usually made to pump out with low budgets in such short time periods it is more rare to find a talented filmmaker who can create some really phenomenal.Django is known as one of the best or at least better of the genre I believe. So it definitely is good and enjoyable, but I'm just afraid that even though I recognize that, deep down I am always disappointed that it doesn't seem I'll ever find any new Spaghetti Westerns up to par with GBU.It was good to see the iconic coffin dragging. And the famous ear cutting scene. I really found the gatling gun to be ridiculous and a bit of a disappointment thoug ... " [More]

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

The last and grandest film in the "Dollars" trilogy, Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) is actually a prequel, featuring Clint Eastwood's serape-less Blondie in a search for stolen gold during the Civil War. While the titular trio's quest seems simple, Leone renders the proceedings epic through the constant intrusions of a chaotic, war-torn universe. Rather than an ideal space, Leone's widescreen desiccated western landscape is a harsh environment ruled by brutality, but, as Eastwood's ironically labeled "Good" affirms upon witnessing a fruitless military battle, state-sanctioned bloodshed is even more destructive than individual venality. Still, Blondie's dry wit and Eli Wallach's buffoonish "Ugly" inject the violence with dark humor, while Ennio Morricone's famed score alternates between stately and tongue-in-cheek. In a final shootout set in an enormous circular cemetery and composed of extreme close-ups of the three leads, Leone sends Eastwood's Man With No Name out on a properly operatic yet wry note. The "good" triumphs, but, in Leone's West, it's all relative. Greeted with critical disdain for its stylistic flourishes and sadism, The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly became a hit, and Leone's artistic influence can be seen from Eastwood's directorial work to John Woo's action theatrics. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Tags: Italian , spaghetti , western , gay , outlaw
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