by Massie Twins

Created on: May 31, 2008

The quintessential and definitive Spaghetti Western, Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is one of the most exciting and entertaining films ever made. Packed with action, showdowns, gunfights, full-scale battles and confidently witty bravura taunts, this imaginative western demonstrates the most obscure guidelines to demarcate good and evil, and several of the most memorable scenes and music in cinema history.

The wanted outlaw Tuco (Eli Wallach) forms an uneasy partnership with Blondie (Clint Eastwood, reprising his role as the "man with no name") in which Blondie turns him in to the authorities for a reward, only to free him before he is hung - so that they can repeat their scam in the next town. Meanwhile the villainous Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) is hunting down Bill Carson, an Army soldier who stole $200,000 in gold. When Tuco and Blondie come upon the injured Carson, Tuco learns the name of the cemetery where the fortune is hidden, and Blondie learns the name of the headstone under which it's buried. During the midst of the Civil War, each of the three mercenaries is caught up in participating in historical events while they struggle to get to the gold.

Ennio Morricone's stirring music instantly sends jitters up your spine. The recognizably famous theme foreshadows an epic western unlike any seen before. Long, lingering shots of vast mountainsides and breezy desert vistas inhabit much of the opening scene, and the beautiful contrast of extreme close-ups cutting to extreme faraway shots, mixed with scenes of characters positioned close to the camera with open widescreen views of the countryside clearly visible in the background, is breathtaking and visionary. The cinematography is the first most impressive aspect of the film, even more apparent with the decision to utilize no dialogue during the opening 10 minutes or more of screen time.

The three main characters are a true breakthrough for this film. Their development and actions prove constantly interesting throughout, and they share almost equal screen time. Dubbed the Good (Eastwood) the Bad (Lee Van Cleef) and the Ugly (Eli Wallach), their actual roles cross those loosely defined lines constantly, and never has the discernment between good and evil and right and wrong been so blurred. All portray anti-heroes at times, and the audience's sympathies continually shift. All three demonstrate powerfully grandiose performances and are immediately recognizable as superb character actors.

The camera

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