Moviedrome Introduction
Film Details
Release Date: 1966
Stars:
Eli Wallach as Tuco
Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is a classic Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Leone and released in 1966. Set during the American Civil War, the film follows three gunslingers - Blondie (the Good), Angel Eyes (the Bad), and Tuco (the Ugly) - as they search for buried Confederate gold.Plot Summary:
Blondie, played by Clint Eastwood, is a quiet but skilled bounty hunter with a moral code. Angel Eyes, portrayed by Lee Van Cleef, is a ruthless mercenary who will do anything for money. Tuco, played by Eli Wallach, is a comical yet cunning outlaw with a knack for survival.
The three men form an uneasy alliance, each using the others to achieve their own goals. As they journey through the harsh landscape of the American West, they encounter betrayal, violence, and moral ambiguity.
The film is renowned for its epic scope, stunning cinematography, and Ennio Morricone's iconic score. It explores themes of greed, loyalty, and the brutality of war, while showcasing the rugged beauty of the Western frontier.
Personal History
Iconic Western, remembered for the soundtrack alone.
Current Review
The first decision I needed to make was whether this, the third in "the man with no name" series, required the watching of the two previous films for continuity. The on line consensus was a No. The three films were made back to back, have Clint as a common characters but the stories are standalone.
This story has the three outlaws;
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| He ain't that good |
 |
| He is quite bad |
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| He ain't that ugly |
It's a huge film - running to over three hours and split in half when shown on ITV4, in a ruse to leave the unsuspecting with only half a film. Fortunately, its very episodic, allowing for viewing over a couple of shifts for the time constrained.
The episodes? We have Blondie and Tuco running a scam of the Mexican being handed in for the wanted reward and then rescued. We have Angel Eyes torturing for information about buried $200,000 in a graveyard. Somehow, Tuco gets the name of the cemetery and Blondie gets the name of the grave. They need to work together, with Angel Eyes appearing to make away with the booty.
An impressive interlude for a Civil War battle, with lots of canon and dead extras and we reach the iconic three way gunfight.
An enjoyable romp with some nuance. A strong anti-war stance, with the two sides kicking absolute lumps out of each other for ownership of a bridge. Our anti-heros need the battle to stop, so like King Solomon, blow it up to leave it unavailable to both. The battle simply stops.
Tuco is quite a comedic character - with a chip on his shoulder about status, and constantly crossing himself when he sees a dead body to keep in with God.
The soundtrack is still superb.
My advice would be to not watch the Comic Strip's a Fistful of Traveller's checks beforehand. You wont be able to take the close ups of eyes seriously.
You start the row.
Quirky Facts
- Clint Eastwood wore the same poncho through all three "Man with No Name" movies without replacement or cleaning.
- The skeleton found by Tuco inside the wrong coffin at Sad Hill cemetery was a real human skeleton. A deceased Spanish actress wrote in her will she wanted to act even after her death.
- Mario Brega appears in all three of the "Dollars" movies as a henchman for the main villain(s), and in all three movies, his character meets an unfortunate demise (oddly enough, none of these deaths is caused by gunfire). In this movie, his character, Wallace, is killed when Tuco (chained to him) jumps off of the train with him, and bangs his head against some rocks. This is the only movie from the trilogy in which Brega played an American. In the other two, he played a Mexican.
Eli Wallach almost drank acid: In a scene where Tuco drinks from a canteen filled with gold coins (actually bags filled with acid to make them tear open easily), Eli Wallach unknowingly drank from a bottle that hadn't been properly cleaned. He fortunately suffered only mouth sores, and the scene made the final cut. And I noticed the mouth sores.
Quotes
[Tuco is in a bubble bath. The One Armed Man enters the room]
One Armed Man: I've been looking for you for 8 months. Whenever I should have had a gun in my right hand, I thought of you. Now I find you in exactly the position that suits me. I had lots of time to learn to shoot with my left.
[Tuco kills him with the gun he has hidden in the foam]
Tuco: When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
Sustenance
If I was following the Western element, it could be sipping whiskey and beans. If I was following the European element, it could be spaghetti.
It was in fact, Linguine, spinach and hazelnuts.
Future Inspiration
It would be obvious to revisit Sergio Leone's other films - and I surely will - but Duck you Sucker - or A Fistful of Dynamite was previously unheard of. Maybe worth seeking out.
The film's finale, Sad Hill Cemetery, is in Northern Spain. What a place to visit.
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