Review

'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is a classic worth watching again and again

This is a throwback review of one of my favorite movies!

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is a story about three men who are all out to find $20,000 in gold that a Union soldier has buried. Each one of these men are experienced gunslingers who both go up against each other and also help each other at times to get closer to the gold.

The Good (Clint Eastwood) is a man who is just out to earn a buck any way he can, the Bad (Lee Van Cleef) is a hitman for hire and the Ugly (Eli Wallach) is a criminal trying to get rich. Taking place during the Civil War, these three must figure out where exactly the gold is buried and try to survive in the process of getting there.

Considered one of the best Western films ever made, the 1966 "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is truly a historic film throughout cinematic history. Ranked in the top 100 films ever made by Times magazine, 47 out of the 301 greatest films by Empire Magazine, 9th on IMDBs top 250, a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and one of my favorite movies ever made, it is universally accepted that this movie is a classic.

There truly aren’t enough good things to say about this movie. If you haven’t seen it before, then do yourself a favor and carve out a night to watch it. Even though it is almost three hours long, it is well worth your time to do so.

One of my favorite things about this film are the three main characters. Each one of these characters are perfect. Blondie, the Good, is this gun slinging, ruggedly handsome badass who you can root for. Angel Eyes, the Bad, is this stone-hearted hitman who makes for a fantastic “villain.” Then we have Tuco, the Ugly, who is by far my favorite. He is this criminal who is very likable. He has some fantastically funny lines that will have you laughing throughout the entire film. One might overlook him and say that he is an evil guy. Yes, he might do some evil things, but does that make him an evil and ugly guy through and through?

There is this one scene with Tuco and his brother halfway through the movie that really allows you to look into his past to see what made him the way he is. It is a heartfelt and emotional scene that really makes you think about what it was like to be them and live their lives.

As I mentioned before, these men all want the same thing, trying to kill one another one minute and working together the next (especially the Good and the Ugly). These two men form this really interesting friendship, bond, or even more of a co-dependence upon one another throughout the three hours that really feels like a journey. It really is something neat to see.

Along with the fantastic story and characters, it also does an excellent job of showing you the horrors of the Civil War and the desert. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is known as a spaghetti Western. This is because it wasn’t filmed in the U.S. but rather in Europe, places such as Spain, Italy and Little Hollywood. It was also written and directed by Italians as well and has the original title of “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo." In one scene, it depicts beautifully the senseless loss of life during the Civil War.

They are fighting way off in the west, where no other forces are even close to this area to defend a bridge. Why? Because higher ups said so. Each side keeps throwing death at each other until there is nothing left. This shows really well how brutal and sometimes senseless battles have been throughout history.

Now, even though this movie wasn’t filmed in the U.S., it still does an excellent job of showing how brutal the desert is. Excellent makeup is done on the actors to really make it look as if they really are wilting away in the sun. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is a great movie to see in a historical sense.

Now, if you still aren’t convinced on whether or not you want to see it, this movie has one of the most memorable soundtracks ever written. It builds so much tension throughout that it only amplifies an already amazing scene. I have downloaded the soundtrack on my iPod, and every now and then I feel the urge to listen to it. It’s that good!

Not only does the film have an amazing soundtrack, but it has amazing cinematography as well. The final shootout is shot so brilliantly that it is my favorite movie scene of all time. If you don't feel you want to watch this movie, then please at least watch the final shootout at the end of the film. I promise that it will be worth it.

These are just some of the many great things "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" has to offer. It is a staple in cinematic history, and it needs to be watched if you call yourself a movie buff. Like I said, do yourself a favor and carve out a night to watch it, and let me know what you think of it if you do watch it!