The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

[Vanilla]

Review/Discuss

[IndustriousAngel]

I don't know if it's true that Leone liked Eastwood because he had only two expressions: The one with hat and one without. However, it's true and it's enough to carry this very-one-note-film. Lee Van Cleef doesn't give us any more facial flexibility; only Eli Wallach shows something like emotions. Leones sweeping camera and Morricones music make this a feast for the senses; the story is remarkably simple but effective. The best of the "fistful"-trilogy imho, and If i had to choose between this and "Once Upon a Time in the West", it's only Claudia Cardinale that tips the scales towards the latter .btw it's only since I learned that Eastwood didn't smoke that I notice how often he has to light a cigar in his films

[4815162342]

It's a grand film that somehow works masterfully in spite of its set-up.I mean, you have the two most prominent characters actually engaged in a subplot of sorts for the first hour of the film before they stumble by accident onto the main "buried treasure" plot of the story.

[Crusader]

best film ever 10/10

[Dementeleus]

One of the classics, and amazingly influential.

[lab276]

Such a great film that improves immensely on the first two. It's got a grander scope, more interesting characters and better production values. What's mos interesting is that the plot is threadbare and the characters just happen on various different circumstances and yet it manages to be very engaging throughout. It's also got this wonderful piece of music:

[A Marvel Fanboy]

A+

[Lordmandeep]

The Westerns of all Westerns...A+

[yads]

Once upon a Time in the West is Leone's best film, but this is so much fun. Totally iconic. Hilarious. Incredible visuals. Possibly the best soundtrack I've heard (well except OUATITW).Infectious brilliance.10/10

[AniNate]

Great film, just slightly better than FAFDM for me but still worthy of its praise. I'll echo the sentiments about the score, especially Ecstasy of Gold.

 

A

[acsc1312]

I hate to be "that guy" but i wasn't blown away by it. I can appreciate a lot of it though.

 

B+

[Crusader]

BLASPHEMY !  Burn him 

[Blankments]

Saw it for the first time last night. I really liked it; probably the best western I've ever seen. Felt very original despite all the parodies I've seen of it too. A+

[DAR]

It's one of the best movies ever made. A

[Goffe]

For some reason I thought this was the first movie, watched the whole trilogy in reverse order lol.

 

It's a great movie, feels fresh serving as influence to numerous movies. The score is an all-timer. 90/100

[jb007]

As good as they come. Entertainment at its very best. Thoroughly enjoyable even after 49 years and over 100 viewings. The background score i.e. A Soldier's tale, The Ecstasy of Gold, the title, the showdown and the credits, is awesome. 

 

Clint Eastwood is excellent and Eli Wallach is phenomenal. One of the greatest movies ever made.

A+

[mattmav45]

Simply a damn cool film.

 

Here is a film that is surrounded by so much damn hyperbole that it's hard to know exactly where to begin.  Three outlaws embark on a journey all in the name of finding, and thereafter acquiring some damn gold.  Naturally, each man is privy to sensitive information, and in that course concessions, alliances, and other general negotiations are made.  Let the searching begin, plain and simple.

 

This is a true epic in every sense of the word.  The world is vibrant, the characters are larger than life, and the score is of course brilliant.  As a viewer you are privy to a scorching journey through the desert, a digression featuring a Civil War battle, and of course all this ultimately culminates in a three-way showdown.  It's the stuff of legends, as is every offering tied to the Man with No Name trilogy.  

 

For the most part this film features everything found in the first two films, amplified up a few notches.  The stakes have never been higher, the terrain is more precarious, the characters are more ruthless, and the violence is more visceral.  As is typically the case in a Sergio Leone offering, the music is in many ways the driving force of the entire film.  So many damn scenes attain power merely from a great shot of scenery coupled with some killer tunes.  A man's man's film, plain and simple.

 

The biggest difference for me in this that contrasts with the first two films is that of the characters.  Specifically, while characters in the first two flicks were largely good and evil archetypes above all else, the characters here thrive on ambiguity.  Mexican bandit Tuco is clearly the standout here as he is given ample backstory and multiple character dynamics to chew on.   The deepening of the characters allows this one to ruminate in a way that the first two films, while great, didn't quite achieve.

 

If I'm being perfectly honest I originally preferred For a Few Dollars More over this as I initially found it to be a leaner, more efficient viewing.  After a couple days of letting this sit, I have to say my initial thoughts were misguided.  This is a big, ballsy, and consistently brilliant cinematic offering that continues to improve in my mind after that initial viewing.  I can't wait to watch it again.

 

A vast understatement, but nonetheless, superior Western cinema.

Edited February 21, 2017 by mattmav45

[Brainbug]

The best Western of all time imo. Leone finally had a good budget and went all out. It never drags depite its runtime, the music is SO F*ING FANTASTIC (never die Morricone. Pls) and the actors and dialogues are always on point. One of those timeless classics. A+

[GrimFandango]

The first few times I watched this film, it was for Clint. Ever since then, it's been for Tuco; and it really is Tuco's film. To me that's the most interesting thing about it, because it's one of the few films I can remember where the anti-hero really shines.

 

All three men are interesting characters, but Angel Eyes really has no arc and we don't know much about him other than he is a badass. Virtually the same for Blondie, but he and Tuco do learn something from the war, but primarily Blondie learns something about Tuco...and Tuco by far is the most fascinating character. Eli Wallach hit this one way out of the park, and I'm too young to know if he did but I sure hope he got the accolades he deserved from this film.

 

This is one movie I really wish would get a re-release in theaters because the cinematography and score just beg, beg, beg to be played on the biggest IMAX screen you can get and with an equally impressive sound system. One of my favorite sound tracks to listen to.

 

For me, this and Once Upon A Time in the West are the apex films of the genre.