Rating: 
Summary: Why can't they all be this good?
Review: Okay, who holds the record for having seen this movie the most times?? I've seen it maybe 5 times, and I know I'm not even in the running. My 18yo kid says he's seen it about 10 times (and he says he wants Blondie's cigar). My father, who is 89, has seen it maybe 20 times (by his admittedly vague recollection).
Any movie that can span the affections of 3 generations deserves 5-star rating.
Why can't all Westerns be like this, made up of bad guys, badder buys, and the really bad, bad guys? Angel Eyes is the personification of suave evil, like a beautiful deadly snake; Blondie represents honor among thieves. But oh, every time Tuco comes on the scene, he steals the show. Who will ever forget his wavering alliances, his race through the cemetery, his face at the stagecoach when he realizes Blondie holds the missing piece of information: the name on the grave where the gold is buried, his whimpering at the end as he balanced on a crumbling cemetery cross with a noose around his neck? And the music! Doo-y-ooo-y-oooooo....Wah WAH Wah... Spectacular. 10 stars, please.
Now I'm going to go watch it again, and try to catch up with my dad.
Rating:
Summary: re/DVD still incomplete - from the viewer in Germany
Review: Is there any way to get a version that includes these missing scenes? I ordered the Italian version, but it doesn't have any of these scenes. Does anyone know? I'm sure we would all enjoy the extra footage.Original review from November 1999***
The DVD is great but does not feature all scenes which originally belong to the movie but were cut because of the film length. Missing are: The 'Tuco in a cave sequence' (where he hires the 3 banditos), a longer 'Tuco torturing scene', the 'Eastwood in bed with a mexican woman' sequence and a short scene which explains how Angel Eyes got the job in the prison camp.
Rating:
Summary: A Great and Classic Western
Review: I was fortunate enough to see this movie the first time in 1968, in a drive-in theater. It seemed to me to be an epic, complex western, and perhaps the best movie I had ever seen in my life. This movie is epic, it is complex, and it is certainly one of the best westerns ever made. Sergio Leone made this movie at a time when Italian movie-makers were known for their intensely artistic visions. Sergio keeps his movie sufficiently within the mainstream so that the movie is very accessible, yet there are numerous artistic elements, including symbolism and film angles that were intended to be artistic, and turned out to be incredibly evocative and beautiful cinematography. Before proceeding with this review, I should mention the wonderful soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. The music enhances each situation beautifully, and is one of the best soundtracks for a western of all time. The signature song with the predominant drum and vocal is unforgettable, and perfectly formed to each scene in which it is used. The story takes place during the Civil War. Clint Eastwood is essentially a con artist, turning in Eli Wallach for a reward, and then saving him by shooting the hangman's rope at just the right moment. Clint and Eli have a falling out and the two separate. Clint finds a new partner and is in the process of saving him when Eli runs into him. Eli wants a little revenge on Clint, and is torturing him by walking him through the desert when they stumble on a wagon full of dead Confederate soldiers; except one is still alive. The dying soldier tells Clint where $200,000 in gold is buried before he dies. Suddenly Eli has to keep Clint alive. The search for the gold is the true story to this movie, though it takes a significant portion of the movie to discover this plot. The beginning of the movie to the start of the search for the gold is used to introduce each of the main characters and to establish their personality. This movie is full of highly detailed and complex scenes, each of which is a mini-story in its own right. Perhaps the most memorable portions of the movie occur near the end. In one scene, Confederate and Union soldiers are dying endlessly and pointlessly over a bridge that neither side can seem to capture. The Union captain would love to see the bridge destroyed to stop the endless and pointless killing, but he is under orders to take the bridge intact. Given the violence of this movie, it is ironic that this entire scene is about the futility of war. This scene is also one of the more complex and dramatic scenes in the movie. In a subsequent scene, Clint Eastwood finds a dying Confederate soldier and comforts him, covering him to keep him warm and sharing a cigarette. Clint looks away to see Eli Wallach riding off on a horse, and the soldier dies. The scene visually illustrates how fleeting life is, and important things can happen in just a moment. The final scene is classic western, with Sergio Leone's masterful artistic touch. The three principal characters meet in a graveyard where the gold is supposedly buried. The confusion of Tuco (Eli Wallach) as he searches for the grave is illustrated visually. The background music is eliminated in favor of natural outdoor noise for portions of this scene as the three principal characters participate in a dramatic three-way gunfight. Even with this scene, Sergio Leone was not quite done. He had an afterward that reflects on how the movie began. The ending is Sergio's impression of the classic American western, with a man riding off into the hills and theme music accompanying him, with soaring camera angles to illustrate the western ideal of independence, self-reliance, and American individualism. You need not understand the artistic elements of this movie to be able to appreciate it. You will sense the elements are there, if only subconsciously, and you will realize that this is a wonderful and great movie. This movie is one you will want to see again and again, especially if you are a fan of westerns or epic movies. Well worth buying and worthy of a 5 star rating.
Rating:
Summary: THE GOOD & B & U is very good indeed
Review: Before Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone began to collaborate in the mid 1960s with A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, the western epic had been pretty much running true to form for more than fifty years. The lone cowboy rides into town to chase out the outlaws and saves the populace. These movies, usually starring John Wayne and his clones, were fixedly predictable in their portrayal of the laconic hero. Except for Gabby Hays, humor and style were too often lacking. In the first two of Leone's homage to the sprawling western, he tried to break out of this tried and true mold. Eastwood star charisma allowed Leone to fashion a new prototype, but it was not until Leone added Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach to the mix that he found exactly the right note of violence, humor, music, and camera angles, all of which still mesh as perfectly today as they did back in 1967. The plot has been borrowed from dozens of oaters. A trio of gunslingers seeks to recover a hidden cache of gold with only one emerging triumphant. What sets TGATBATU apart from its predecessors is a sense that despite the crushing reality of the harsh Civil War days, there is a leavening humor that keeps it from being squashed flat by the violence of both sight and sound that assault the senses in nearly every other scene. Eastwood plays straight man to Wallach's Lou Costello, feeding him lines that are truly funny. Their continuous interaction that bounces back and forth from mutual self interest to several aborted instances of near murder keep the emotional focus of the film on track. Eastwood's face is frozen into a featureless frown, while Wallach's radiates a goofy grin even as both dispatch legions of inept cowboys with gunshots that reverberate as loudly as thunder blasts. Lee Van Cleef is the 'Bad' one of the title, and he is bad indeed. Eastwood kills to stay alive while Wallach does so with a flair that Jack Nicholson would later emulate in THE SHINING. But Van Cleef manages to infuse his killing with a viciousness that well suggests his rat-faced persona. During the course of the movie, all three work variously, singly, in twos, and in threes, but the thrust of their interaction leads inexorably to the triangular showdown that in its blending of sight, sound, and action, has never been equalled. This is a long movie, as any epic should be, but it never drags. From the opening scene where Van Cleef blasts a family apart to the closing delicate balancing act of Wallach on a grave cross, the audience is carried along and finds itself teetering with Wallach in sympathetic rhythm. The fact that the audience can overlook the obvious Italian flavor of cast and crew is a memorial to the seamless melding that Sergio Leone has established as the pinnacle of the western epic.
Rating:
Summary: The best Film of all time
Review: The Good the Bad and the Ugly can easily be called one of the greatest films of all time. From Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach's superb acting to the brilliant directing of Sergio Leone, the film is a masterpiece. The dvd allows the viewer to watch in awe of the amazing work done on this film. The composition of every shot is breathtaking and the plot is gripping. Plus, Clint Eastwood is the man!
Rating:
Summary: There are two types of people, my friend......
Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is the classic spaghetti western that completes Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. This is personally my favorite over the other two, although all three are great. The movie follows three men in their pursuit of $200,000 in gold. The story is set in the Civil War in southern Texas. The adventures of the three characters include a Union prison camp, a huge battle reminiscent of World War I, and of course the famous showdown in the Sad Hill Cemetery with Tuco running frantically around the graves looking for the one marked "Arch Stanton."
All three main characters give excellent performances here. Clint Eastwood stars as Blondie, Eli Wallach as Tuco, and Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes. The fourth star has to be Ennio Morricone's soundtrack. The music is fabulous throughout and well worth buying the soundtrack. Also starring are Mario Brega, Luigi Pistilli, and Aldo Sambrell. Leone's use of extreme close-ups and epic landscapes are excellent throughout. The DVD is awesome and well worth the purchase. It contains the widescreen presentation, excellent color and sound, theatrical trailer, and 14 minutes of never-before-seen footage with English subtitles. This footage includes scenes that help explain how Angel Eyes ends up in a Union prison camp and also how Blondie later joins up with Angel Eyes' gang. After seeing the movie so many times without this footage, it was odd to see it, but still very entertaining. A must have for Spaghetti western fans!
Rating:
Summary: Best western ever!
Review: The entire trilogy was awesome, but the final of the series is the best. Clint Eastwood returns as "the man with no name". Throw in Eli Wallach as "Tuco" and Lee Van Cleef as " Angel eyes" and you have one hell of a matchup. The story is a little slow moving at first, but you get hooked. It somewhat follows the previous movies. But the character interaction is the best of the three. The shootouts and unintentional humor make this a classic and must see for fans of the western movie genre. You can't go wrong with this masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Western
Review: This is my favorite Western and I've seen plenty. Many consider Once Upon a Time in the West Leone's masterpiece and it's hard to argue, but I just don't like it as well as this one. First of all it contains one of the best performances by an actor I've ever seen--Eli Wallach as Tuco (the ugly). Secondly, it has so many layers. Sure, you have the three main characters who each embody either good (Clint Eastwood as Blondie), evil(Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes), or just plain ugliness (the aforementioned Eli Wallach as Tuco); but they're merely representations of what's going on around them and of the West in general. The West was good, bad, and ugly. Leone shows us a bunch of each in this brilliant film. The relationship between Tuco and Blondie (as turbulent as it is) and the bravery both men possess would certainly be examples of the good. Perhaps my favorite scene in the movie is when Blondie and Tuco are walking down the street
of the war-torn town in search of Angel Eyes and killing off his men one by one--never overly concerned that they're outnumbered. The bad is best represented by the Civil War. No matter how hard Tuco and Blondie try they can't seem to escape the war going on all around them. Who can forget when they are at the monastery turned hospital, or the prison camp, or at the battle of the bridge. The horrors of war surround them. (And of course Lee Van Cleef is, if only briefly, the brutal prison sergeant.) The ugly is best represented by the greed that pervades the entire film. Just watch Tuco count money or rob the dead. It's greed personified. And that finale. Wow! That's one of the greatest scenes ever filmed. The tension created by the masterful Leone in this scene is indescribable. Of course, it's by no means the only great scene--the film is brimming with them. Finally, the music must be addressed. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly has one of the best soundtracks ever recorded. Ennio Morricone is one of the greats and this is his crowning achievement. In sum, see this film. It's one of the best. P.S. ...If you want historical accuracy read a history book. This is a movie. Never did it claim to be based on a true story. One thing I think you will find to be accurate is how the characters look. Leone obviously took pains to make sure the actors were dirty (or at least looked it), their clothing was torn, they were unshaven, etc. This is certainly a more realistic portrayal of the people of the West than earlier Hollywood westerns which featured well-scrubbed, clean-shaven, neatly pressed actors.
Rating:
Summary: The Man With No Name is the Good...
Review: Lee Van Cleef is the Bad and Eli Wallach is the Ugly. All of them are dangerous gunslingers after the same thing; $200,000 dollars. Who will get the money? Will the Civil War get in the way or will they kill each other instead? Two hours and 43 minutes of fast action, cruel landscapes and nice guns.
Rating: 
Summary: What Good?
Review: Sergio Leone plumbed his greatest depths of nitwittedness when he essayed the script for this travesty. Still, people are watching it 35 years later, so his financiers got something out of it. It would take the film's full running time to detail how bad it is but one scene captures some of the flavor. Prisoner Eli Wallach the Ugly is being transported to the gallows by Union troop train when he throws himself and his guard out the door of a crowded boxcar. Nobody says hey, train never stops, and neither does another express coming the other way when Wallach uses it to cut the cuffs between him and his dead captor, despite the fact that the deceased is laying in the middle of the tracks. Leone knew exactly nothing about the American West and neither do the people who enjoy his ludicrously mismanaged fantasies about the time and place.
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