Rating: 
Summary: Why does it have to be so hard?
Review: Although it is with extreme difficulty that i rate this movie the best western ever made, simply because there is such stiff competition, namely Unforgiven and the Wild Bunch (rounding out my top 3), let this slight indecision speak nothing of the value of the movie as a cinematic masterpiece and landmark of the greatest genre in film. Eastwood, van Cleef, and Wallach are captivating as the three fastest guns in the West. Unlike Unforgiven, which attacks the stylized form bestowed upon the Western genre (to a great degree by Leone) and displays the dark side of gunslinging by analysing its moral context with grimly realistic, disturbingly anticlimactic death scenes, Leone's masterpiece revitalizes the western film as an artform, promoting the aesthetic of the Western genre. The style and choreography of the movie in the cemetary showdown has not been matched in cimematic history. A must see for any western fan.
Rating:
Summary: This is a classic western to be seen over and over.
Review: The combination of music (Ennio Morricone) acting (Eastwood, Wallach, and Van Cleef) and directing (Leone) makes this one of the best westerns ever made. Instead of a good vs bad senario like other "clean cut" westerns, this one brings out the realistic side of human behavior that not only reflects that era but also our own.
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Summary: Visually-oriented film pefect for DVD
Review: I bought this title today and watched it and I can't get over how much better it looks and sounds on DVD. The movie is from '67 but comes out crystal clear and with rich sound effects. The beautiful cinematography in this movie is perfect for DVD!
Rating:
Summary: Great classic western
Review: Eastwood does it again as the "man with no name" this time battling against the civil war as well as a spanish outlaw named Tuco. This movie is great and can be viewed over and over again, I have done so. I have not seen many westerns but this one is definatly one that must be seen.
Rating:
Summary: The best western movie ever!!!
Review: No kidding, this movie is the best western ever. Every other western movie should be compared against the good, the bad, and the ugly. The performances of the all three main actors are stunning. If you haven't seen this movie and claim you are a western fan, you should be ashamed. DVD version is also very satisfying and original scenes that were cut out of the Hollywood version are pretty interesting.
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Summary: Blondie lights up the screen with on edge suspense
Review: simply the best Western film eve
Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Classic Even For the Non-Western Fan
Review: As a non-Western film fan, I was ingrossed by the rich cast of characters that Sergio Leone assembled and his ability to draw in a film lover that tends to get bored with the average western, or most westerns, for that matter. This is NO AVERAGE WESTERN. Don't be afraid of the dubbed dialogue used for the foreign (non-American) actors, or the length of the picture. This is a true work of art and superb entertainment. I can't wait to see the DVD version.
Rating:
Summary: An often overlooked gem of a film
Review: There is a lot more here to appreciate than one might expect. The civil war battle scenes are visually powerful and thought provoking. The prison camp scenes are painfully well presented (no pun intended). The DVD production is very well done. This is the first time I had ever seen the film in widescreen, and it is visually stunning. The film is in quite good condition, and the soundtrack is ok, but perhaps could have been enhanced. I don't mind mono soundtracks when they are the original, but there isn't much dynamic range. The performances are first rate. This film is much more than just a fine Clint Eastwood western. It is testimony to Sergio Leone's depth of vision and great talent.
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Summary: The Quintenssential Western
Review: Perhaps the finest western ever made, certainly the most fun to watch. A complex plot, with interesting and unexpected twists and turns, raises the movie above the standard western fare. The movie is witty; I especially enjoyed the opening, with its unusual and clever (but criminal) money-making scheme. The score of the movie is fabulous. In all, a memorable movie.
Rating:
Summary: A few scenes more
Review: Sergio Leone proudly served up his finest spaghetti Western to a Roman audience in the final days of 1966. The premiere print of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" sprawled over three hours in telling its tale of three desperados in search of gold amid the chaos of the Civil War.The men from United Artists also were on the trail of treasure. American audiences, they knew, would not sit for a 178-minute Western, especially not an import starring a TV actor (Clint Eastwood). Out came 17 minutes, and so was breach-born the version of "Good, Bad, Ugly" that has endured as a male-bonding touchstone for four decades. Looking to make things right (and to mine more gold), MGM a few years ago decided to re-create the storied film that unspooled in Rome that night. The restored, full-length English version of Leone's epic is worth every dollar in this two-disc DVD Collector's Set. Sure, Leone's film loses much on the small screen -- its borderline-surrealistic vistas shot in Spain are legendary -- but the DVD's visuals are clean, with decent contrasts (anamorphic widescreen, 2.35:1). Compared to MGM's 1998 release, there's a dramatic reduction in flatness, speckling and miscellaneous wear. The 5.1 Dolby Digital audio has its moments but isn't up to the standards of the imagery. The DVD medium is, of course, unrivaled at presenting the history of complicated productions like these. MGM's set gets that job done, for the most part. Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel does the heavy lifting in a commentary that, amazingly, runs on fumes only near the end of three hours. The 2002 restoration project is covered in an 11-minute docu that goes over the added/restored scenes. They mostly just smooth out the narrative, but it's hard to reimagine the film without them. "Good, Bad, Ugly" is as closely associated with composer Ennio Morricone as with Leone. Film music historian Jon Burlingame talks about the maestro in a short featurette and in a more-detailed audio lecture. No explanation is given for Morricone's lack of participation on the DVD, and you get the feeling he's been downplayed for not playing along.
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