Review of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) by Stevenf — 01 Nov 2013

A lot of the open space that would otherwise seem unnecessary, is actually used to its fullest potential in ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.’ The intensity of scenes, sometimes involving only one man in the vast sprawling desert, easily capture the essence of the film, surprise, intrigue and some fine camerawork which is held true throughout the course of the film, director Sergio Leone intentionally misleads the viewer with various angles in an attempt to mask the outcome of an event, he does this so well.

The pressing matter, however, is why this movie is so good? Or masterful for that matter. It will always be known as a "Spaghetti Western” even if its content is vastly superior to many of the westerns that have come and gone, it has garnered its critics for presumably being part of the 'Dollar’ trilogy’, yet it survives to be not only the best Western film, but one of the finest films of a cinematic generation, the style and beauty on screen utilises each and every detail, whether its the sun soaked sand or the populated battlefields of a civil war, the film has a massive scope of perfection and subtlety.

Clint Eastwood again places the cigar in his mouth as the 'Man With No Name’, another problem with the marketing of a great film, he’s clearly called “Blondie” in the film. The performances of the three main leads are exquisite, alongside Eastwood, we have Eli Wallach as a of a man called Tuco, an shaky and untrustworthy acquaintance of Blondie, he never stops and also never misses an opportunity to get one over on his partner.

But we also have the cool, focused and dangerous stance of Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes, his opening scene as he he sits down for food with his target is expertly filmed to outline the cruel and materialistic side of this man, but also the dangers of crossing guns with him, his moments of in the film are made up of fear and his piercing stare, giving relevance to his name.

Moments like these are what the film is about, it doesn’t hold heavy dialogue but instead lets the scenery speak for itself, one of the final scenes of the film has the three characters face off in a three-man showdown, this is a long and suspenseful scene, one which gradually draws the viewer in from long shot to extreme close-ups, we witness the distance these men are from each other, right up to the sweat and stubble on their chin, perfectly capturing a scene that doesn’t necessarily differ from many duels, but the delivery of suspense along with a riveting score gives it vital importance.

The character of Blondie is a benchmark of the Western age of film, this guy doesn’t even have to talk much to be appreciated, a creation of power and order need not speak, he just needs to act out his myth or legend, something Leone and Eastwood bring to the Man With No Name in flawless style.

He is after gold that the other two men are also after, the catch being that Tuco knows the graveyard its buried in, but Blondie knows the exact name of the grave, while Angel Eyes was led onto the track through his own menace and curiosity.

The graveyard part of the film is only one of its many highlights, another being a civil war part where the two partners decide to take down the bridge in an attempt to further their journey. The landscape, creation of memorable moments and a story which intertwines with pivotal segments of history, amount to the flawless art that is this film, it has wit and character dynamics that separate the film from others, each leaving a rather different taste in your mouth, at 180 minutes long, each and every scene needs to be soaked up with the brilliance of its content, and the talent of those involved.