The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) (Movie Review)

 

  When it comes to the Western genera now days, new films only seem to sparingly come about, and only a hand-full are truly great. However, there was a period between the late 1950’s and early 70’s in which Westerns dominated cinema, similar to how comic-book and superhero movies grabbed audience interest in the two-thousand-teens. One of the most iconic staples of this golden age was the 1966 Western classic “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”, which is still cited as one of the greats of the genera, and is frequently seen on lists of either the greatest or most influential movies ever made. While I’ve personally never looked back on “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” as one of my favorite movies, I do still find it one of the more favorable Westerns I’ve seen, and it’s well worth checking out, if you haven’t seen it. This marked a conclusion of sorts to director Sergio Leone’s figurative “Dollar Trilogy”, which began with the 1964 picture “A Fistful of Dollars”, and continued with 1965’s “A Few Dollars More”. While there was no direct continuity between the films, they repeated many similar beats, and re-used many of the same actors, namely Clint Eastwood as the titular “Man with no Name”.  

  For this venture, he’s referred to a Blondie, and is in league with a self-centered schemer named Tuco. The two operate a racket, in which Tuco is captured for reward money, then Blondie rescues him from the gallows at last second, and then they move to a different town to do it all over again. Over time, it becomes a dangerous game of one double crossing the other, to the point where Tuco is ready to do-away is his quiet partner for good. As they try to out-wit one another, a cold-blooded bounty hunter referred to as Angel Eyes, is out on the trail of a thief, who buried a box containing $200,000 of stolen money. Through a series of events, both Blondie and Tuco stumble upon the dying out-law, and each learn something valuable. Tuco learns of a cemetery in which the money was placed, while Blondie learns of the grave-stone in which the box was buried under. Despite hating each-others guts, both men have to work together to survive a journey through Confederate territory during the Civil War, as well as avoiding the deadly aim of Angle Eyes, and his team of armed hunters.

  Before I go any further in the details of the film, I should stop, and address how this film is part of a sub-genera of Westerns, commonly referred to as Spaghetti westerns. While the story and events are set in the Southwestern United States of 1862, amidst the American Civil War, the movie itself was an Italian production, filmed in Spain, with all the locations and towns doubling for areas in America. In fact, the proper pronunciation of the title is “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo” … “The Good, The Ugly, The Bad”. 

The cast by extent was primarily speaking in their native Italian langue, which was then dubbed over in English. Arguably the weakest element of this film is the doubling, as it’s very noticeable, and at times can take me out of the moment. Regardless, it doesn’t ruin the experience, and it’s admittedly better than the doubling of Sergio Leone’s first two Westerns. Honestly, being an Italian picture, it really makes me admire all the hard work that went into the production of recreating these small towns, Civil War battlefields, prison camps, and cemeteries, to look like authentic locations from a period in America. The climactic cemetery location alone took several hundred Spanish employees to craft all the gravestones, wooden crosses, and how they’d be laid-out and arranged. It’s honestly a phenomenal production, and lensed brilliantly by cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli, who helmed the films sweeping widescreen presentation. Most of the films Iconography comes from how it was shot and presented. A frequently replicated scene is when Tuco slowly walks alone into a ghost town, and with Blondie’s help, due-away with a number of armed hunters, who pop-out of the woodworks, almost like bad-guys in a video game.

  Speaking of Iconography, Clint Eastwood was well on his way of becoming the new face of the genera, with his rugged good looks, and squinty eyes, while chomping on a cigar, became staples of Western cinema. He also had his own iconic attire of a green poncho, which he wore in the first two “Dollar movies”, but didn’t have in this film, until the ending. 

This began speculation on whether or not “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is a prequel to the first two films, and if Clint Eastwood’s character really is the same person, just taking on a different alias each time. Either way it’s fun to speculate, and there’s also a novelty in having a trilogy of films, in which the viewers mainly create the continuity. As a quick side-note, director Howard Hawks and star John Wayne had their own figurative Western trilogy, sometimes referred to as the “Bravo series”, which began with the 1959 classic “Rio Bravo”, continued with 1966’s “El Dorado”, and concluded with 1970’s “Rio Lobo”. Again, there was no direct continuity between the films, and they can almost be viewed as three different takes of a similar story, and John Wayne playing an almost identical character in all three films. I’m only bringing it up because it’s one of my favorite film series of the genera … but I better get back on track with “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.  

  While Clint Eastwood is the poster-child of the movie, the character who really steals the show is "The Rat" himself … Tuco, played by Eli Wallach. When it comes to slimy characters you shouldn’t trust, yet are still exploding with personality and charisma, Tuco is one of the gold standards … “Whoever double crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco … haha … NOTHING!”. Just how cool is this character … well, can you think of any other character in a Western who fires his gun sideways … a common cliché for gangster films, but not Westerns. 

In all seriousness, this guy has all the best lines, all the best responses, all the coolest scenes, and is arguably even the most layered. We get to explore some of his family life, and get an intriguing dynamic between he and his brother, who went on to serve in the church, while Tuco turned into a life of crime. They may seem like polar opposites, yet both chose their paths in an effort to make a name for themselves. Of course, his famous bathtub scene might just be my favorite part of the whole film. A rivel outlaw ambushes Tuco while he’s in the tub, and makes the fatal mistake to gloat, as Tuco secretly brought his firearm in the tub with him … “When you have to shoot, don’t talk, shoot!”. It’s such an iconic moment, and inspired a number of similar scenes. John Wayne had a similar bath tub surprise moment in the 1971 picture “Big Jake”, which is another one of my all-time favorite Westerns. Of course, another famous moment inspired by this was Han Solo shooting Greedo in “Star Wars” ... figured I had to mention that.

  Rounding up the cast is Lee Van Cleef as the ruthless bounty hunter Angel Eyes, a character so cool, he'd actually inspire one of my favorite "Star Wars" characters, the equally ruthless Bounty Hunter called Cade Bane. While I've only seen the actor Lee Van Cleef in a handful of films, including "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Escape From New York", he left an impression as this imposing, calculating, and brutal hunter. Just how bad is he ... well, he doesn’t hesitate to shoot a mans face through a pillow. Actually, a lot of the films content was darker and more violent than most Westerns of the time, including a brutal interrogation scene, in which Angel Eyes tortures Tuco. Aside from the dramatic violence, the film also avoids common conventions of the time, as there’s no love interest, and despite what the title may suggest, there really are no heroes in this film. Everyone of our main players is an outlaw, and the setting is characterized as a savage one, where only the smartest and quickest survive. When I was in film school, my teacher used this movie as an example of “Gothic Storytelling”, in which there’s no conventional protagonist, and it’s all about people with their own interests in mind, which makes storytelling unpredictable. Of course, the leads have their ways of holding viewer interest, and some characters like Blondie display just enough moments of virtue, that we cheer for him, despite being an outlaw himself.     

   My favorite segment of the film is when Blondie and Tuco find themselves in the company of Union soldiers, during the battle of Glorieta Pass, of the New Mexico Campaign. For a good twenty minutes, the film takes on a new life as a Civil War epic, yet it still remembers to keep our characters front in center of all the excitement. 

Blondie during this time makes a connection with a Union soldier on his death bed, who failed a mission to blow-up a bridge, which prompts Blondie and Tuco to do something selfless for once. It makes the destruction of the bridge all the more satisfying, and the scene itself was so intense that it had to be filmed twice, as all three cameras were destroyed on the first take. Afterword’s, we segue into the films iconic finale, in which our three main characters converge onto the buried treasure, and have a nail-biting three-way standoff. Typically, when I think of my favorite climaxes, I think of the grand, relentless battles featured in the “Star Wars”, “Avengers” and “Lord of the Rings” movies … and yet, this film likewise features one of my all-time favorite finales, and it barley has more action then a single gunshot. All the excitement of this climax comes from the build-up, the intensity, and all the little exchanges between our players, who don’t even speak much. It’s just this exciting montage of clos-ups, riveting music, and brilliant editing that make this scene a work of art.

  Of course, I had to mention the equally iconic score at some point, and yes … it’s one of the high marks of this film. Ennio Morricone’s music score for “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” gives this film such a distinct identity, and it’s what carries so much of the film’s momentum. 

As a side note, this movie opens with one of my favorite opening credit sequences ever, with all these painted illustrations of the cast, colorful transitions, flashy visuals, and all while matched with this sensational music. If I had any reservations with this movie, it would be the nearly three-hour runtime, and the leisurely pacing of the first half. Upon its initial release in Italy, “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” had a run time of 177 minutes, although it was shortened to 161 minutes once released in America, which is still a long sit. While the music helps to keep me engaged, I don’t really feel invested until the treasure hunt story gets going, and all three of our characters cross paths, which unfortunately doesn’t happen until about the one-hour mark. Personally, I feel the first act could have been tightened-up a little, although I do understand that the point of the slower scenes was to build-up suspense and anticipation. Truthfully, I just don’t find much of it that exciting … at least in the first act … because once this film gets going, it really cooks, and the slow-build gets exhilarating. The 1968 classic “Once Upon a Time in the West” likewise had a slow-burning start, but eventually got the momentum going.

  In the end, there’s a reason “The Good, The Bad, and Ugly” is so frequently sighted as one of the best of the genera, and arguably the greatest of the Spaghetti Westerns. It avoided predictable conventions, put a new face on the genera, inspired countless imitators, and has been ingrained in our pop-culture. Even if you haven’t seen the movie, your probably still familiar with some of its iconography or maybe even its music, and may not even know where it all came from. It’s just that kind of movie that left a lasting impression, and has been replicated in many forms over the years. If you’re a long time Western fan, this film is required viewing, and for casual viewers, I’d still recommend it, but be prepared for its lengthy run time, and how it utilizes a slow-burn presentation as a means to generate excitement. Regardless, the character performances, riveting music, and film techniques on display are still well worth viewing.

Thanks for reading my review of the 1966 Western classic “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!