Rating: 
Summary: The best Western ever??
Review: A rare film, that is thrid in a trilogy and yet far surpasses the two that went before. It's a superb and lengthy story of intrigue and deceit, that unlike, "Once Upon a Time in the West" matches Leone's unique operatic style with the actual story. Plot wise, we see Eastwood, Van Cleef, and Wallach double crossing each other over and over in the hunt for confederate gold that's hidden in a grave. The twist is that each man knows only a partial clue to the grave's where-abouts and must work with one of the others two to find it, culminating in one of the most memorable climaxes in movie history. Brilliant performances from the three leading players, biiter style and ironic, tongue-in-cheek humour from Leone, a meaty plot and script and one of the best music scores ever from Morricone, all combine to make one of the best Westerns of all time and one of my current 10 all time favourite movies.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie, Not Just a Western
Review: I watched this movie about 20 years ago and I've seen it a few times since. It never fails to capture my attention. It's not what I consider a true "western" movie such as High Noon or Shane. It is a western in the fact it is dated in the Civil War era. Having said that, it is a great movie of epic proportions. I'm sure that Sergio Leone used all of his budget to make this movie as it is a huge venture with many locations, extras and all the gadgetry available to him. Lee Van Cleef is very good as the "bad guy", Clint Eastwood is good as the "good guy" but, Eli Wallach is outstanding as the "ugly guy". The movie is fast paced from start to finish except for the battle scene which is still gripping. Any movie goer that has seen the last 40 minutes of this movie can not say that they weren't enthralled while watching. From Tuco running through the cemetary accompanied by the outstanding score to the almost chilling 3-way showdown at the end is something that had never been on film before and rarely seen since. People compare this Eastwood movie to a John Wayne movie but, that can't be done. When you have great roles to play, the actors are almost inconsequential. The Duke was one of the great western actors and he would've loved to get this role. One of the best ever made. There is nothing Ugly about this great film.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE TWO BEST WESTERNS OF ALL TIME.
Review: The other one is "Once Upon A Time In The West", also directed by Sergio Leone. As in some of the best Spaghetti Western movies, in "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" there are no heroes, only antiheroes at best, all the characters are capable of anything in order to remain alive.Ennio Morricone's score is another character in this epic set in a Western, the main theme is one of the most well-known songs in the world of the music from the movies. The photography is flawless, as well as Sergio Leone's direction. The characters are so fascinating that the audiences are interested in them from beginning to end. "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" is one of the two best westerns, both this movie and "Once Upon A Time In The West" are essential videos, both films made by Sergio Leone.
Rating:
Summary: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - A great adventure!
Review: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly in my opinion is the best among the trilogy. Sporting the largest budget and the best script among "The Man With No Name" trilogy, this movie blazes across the screen brilliantly. Of course, Clint Eastwood is back and his name is Joe once again although I don't believe you ever hear him referred to as anything other than Blondie. Lee Van Cleef is back as well and he most definitely performs memorably as one of the bad guys. Eli Wallach's performance as the pseudo bad/good guy Tuco is nothing short of spectacular. The style and class of this movie is dead on with Sergio Leone's film making, making it a classic in the genre and one of the top films of the sixties. The entire film comes off as a box office success and a treasure for your home DVD collection! The premise: Clint Eastwood is back as Joe/Blondie - The Good guy. Eli Wallach shows up as Tuco - The Bad guy and Lee Van Cleef makes a return as Stenza the Ugly guy. The film starts wonderfully by deftly making the introductions of the three primary characters doing what they do best. Blondie ends up capturing Tuco and they make a comical deal. Stenza makes a dramatic first appearance as well. Blondie and Tuco have a dramatic parting of the ways that also brings them back together in classic Sergio Leone style. They literally stumble across some fortunate information which leads them down the path of the civil war in the hopes off retrieving a rather large sum of money. This also forces them to run across the path of Lee Van Cleef's character, Stenza and his quest for the same information and treasure. All of this combines to make this film a "must see" for those that are fans of this genre as it leads to the ultimate climatic ending and a classic Clint Eastwood shootout. I highly recommend this film and the entire trilogy to Eastwood and western fans. {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: The Good,Bad,Ugly.. the Best!!
Review: Arguably one of the best epic westerns ever made and the ultimate male macho movie. Three men whose lives cross when the search for confederate money leads them through the war torn west of the Amercian Civil War. Clint Eastwood (Blondie/man with no name), Lee Van Cleef (Angel Eyes) and Eli Wallach (Tuco) are the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly respectively, each with their own agenda to get to a cemetary and a certain grave holding dirty loot. Sergio Leone's direction can be compared to the european comics of the time in which the movie screen, like comic strip panels, have close-ups of the characters with sweeping backgrounds. The DVD widescreen format restores Leone's great camera work and sense of composition. When shown on regular tv, the viewer gets an old or bad print of the film in pan and scan format and all that great compostion is lost. The score and theme song by Ennio Morricone is legendary and familiar and the characters are sweaty, dirty, and real. Its amazing that the story takes place in the American Civil War west, but it was actually filmed in the deserts of Spain. Clint Eastwood's man with no name is as cool and macho as ever, but Eli Wallach's role as the wanted bandit, "Tuco" is the standout character and he should have won an Oscar for that performance. The DVD has a trailer and interesting liner notes, but one wishes an actor or director commentary. Perhaps a special edition DVD will someday be released. Note: Classic Line(s) - "If you have to shoot..shoot! Don't talk!" and "When your hanging on that rope, you can feel the devil biting your a--!"
Rating:
Summary: You got me, I got you: we're all alone
Review: Just a few remarks about this uniquely memorable film. One reviewer said it was opera. Right! Whoever heard of an opera that wasn't totally implausible and way over the top? It's a kind of comic La Scala, with a deadly cynical undertone. The director isn't directing a story; he's a composer, pulling out every stop in the libretto. Note the litany of crimes that Tuco is about to be hanged for: rape, bigamy, murder, extortion, dealing in prostitution ---- and finally, something really serious: playing cards with a marked deck!! This tale may be long, and even sort of leisurely in a tense sort of way, but it is never, ever boring. You can't help feeling sorry for the few who don't get it.
Rating:
Summary: Superb, comical, action-packed neo-Western
Review: This is a gritty (yet often humorous) European view of the American West - dirty, violent, brutal,the way it really was. Three-way gun fight at the end of the film is totally unique, the sadism of the prison guards taunting the musician-prisoners ("more feeling!") as Tuco is being tortured by the fat sergeant is unforgettable, and the battlefield scene excessive, but enjoyable. But there's plenty of humor(some of which is unintentional) as well; Eli Wallach's grunting, the out of synch dubbing, Tuco not being able to read the word "unknown", and so on. Have seen this film at least twenty times and love it all - Clint's greasy poncho, the minimalist dialogue, the squinting, the Spanish and Italian actors trying to portray us, the repetitive score, Eli running through the cemetery, blinded by greed, as the graves turn into a blur, the vast, empty panoramas, the guns. More enjoyable than the Yojimbo-based "Fistful of Dollars" and its sequel, because it tries to be a "Big" Western, and satirizes the genre at the same time. A nice touch was the casting of Eli as a Mexican bandito (Tuco), a reprise of his role in "Magnificent Seven",(a classic Western) and also pays homage to the banditos in "Treasure of Sierra Madre" (another Western) - "We don't need no stinkin' badges." The casting of Clint was a no-brainer - not only his roles in the previous two "Dollar" films required it, but his credentials as a laconic, squinty-eyed, gun-toting cowboy were impeccable based on his Rowdy Yates role in the T.V. series, "Rawhide." Lee Van Cleef as Setenza is just a terrific stroke of genius - greedy, manipulative, sadistic,traitorous,- you name it; he's baaaaad! The length of the battlefield scene is the only flaw I find with this film. Can't be put in same class as "Shane", "High Noon", or any other so-called Classic Western because it isn't a Western in the same sense. It is one-of-a-kind.
Rating:
Summary: The way to tell really good directors from timeless ones
Review: are, either: 1. To make films such as this one and Once upon a time in America
2. To get your fans interested in the movies that inspired you Quentin Tarantino does that, and on top of that he makes great films, his most timeless one is Pulp Fiction but that is all beside the point. After watching Kill Bill, I decided to get into the westerns genre, I had watched several samurai films, such as Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, The Hidden Fortress, thanks in part to my uncle who got so excited that I wanted to watch movies that he had watched when he was a kid that he bought me the films I mentioned above for my birthday, anyway, my interests grew in older films and I decided to give westerns a try, I heard this one was good, I borrowed it from my teacher none the less and I loved it, I really did, great movie, there is nothing more to be said, if you enjoy this, I recommend Once upon a time in America and Leone's other films, can't hurt to try them now can it. I have discovered a completely new genre of movies, it's almost like discovering Tarantino's films all over again.
Rating:
Summary: This is better than I expected!
Review: There's even a scene that wasn't on the previous DVD. The Tuco recruiting those three men. Eli and Clint's voices are older, but are still great to listen to. On disc two we get the extended torture scene, and snipits of another scene that has Tuco pursuing Blondie before the famous chase scene regarding those cigars. This is just great. If you want the American Theatrical Release, it's still avalible. But this is closer to Sergio Leone's vision. That's all I have to say, except to say there are no phone poles in this film. All you see are telegraph wires.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie, Excellent DVD
Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly can easily be considered one of the best westerns ever made because, like the other two "Man with No Name" movies, it broke all the rules. The wide open composition of Sergio Leone's cinematography, the harsh landscapes, the excellent characters, and Ennio Morricone's masterpiece score all make this add up to far more than just some spaghetti western. This expanded DVD edition proves interesting. The extra footage intergrates into the movie nicely, although you can easily tell that a lot of the dubwork was redone, because Eli Wallach does NOT sound like the Tuco of old in the several scenes he redubs. The extras on the second disc are interesting, but nothing really special. The extra commentary is nice, especially the commentary about Morricone's score. The ability to listen to the original Italian audio is also interesting. The package is handsomely presented with a booklet and several movie poster reproductions in various languages. Overall, this is a fitting tribute to one of the more excellent westerns ever made.
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