Film Review: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (dir. S. Leone, 1966)

So I've continued with the Clint Eastwood film festival, following up "For a Few Dollars More" with this classic, probably the most ambitious of the Leone spaghetti Westerns. By way of explaining "ambitious," think three hour running time, three "main" characters (the eponymous Good, Bad, and Ugly), and an elaborate plot involving shifting front lines during the civil war. The film is not only a masterpiece of the Western genre, ending in a three-way stand-off, but a masterpiece of the anti-war genre, as well. But really, this film is a long meditation of how important trust is, even among thieves.

I won't try to summarize the plot in any detail. Suffice it to say that "Angel Eyes" ("the Bad," played by Lee Van Cleef) is on the track of $200,000 in gold coins, stolen and hidden by Confederate soldiers. The problem: It's hidden. Angel Eyes (I'm not able to check imdb.com at work; his character's name might be "Angeline"?) tracks down the name/alias of the last of the thieves, Bill Carson. Meanwhile, the Good (Clint Eastwood as the man with no name, here called "Blondie," which is a funny name for a tough guy, don't you think?) and the Ugly (Tuco, played by Eli Wallach, who is, really, pretty ugly) play out a scam where Eastwood turns Wallach in, collects the reward, and then rescues Tuco from the noose at just the last minute. (This is, needless to say, an operation that requires a great deal of trust between the principals.) Well, after a series of twists and turns, Tuco and Blondie find the dying Carson, who tells each of them exactly half of the secret of the hidden treasure. At that point, the pair dress up like Confederate soldiers and go in search of the loot, each with his half of the secret. They don'ty trust one another, at this point, enough to share the secret. They are then captured by the Union calvary, at which point Angel Eyes, disguised as a Union sergeant, hears that "Bill Carson" (Tuco now) has been captured. Now Angel Eyes can get the secret . . . .

Eventually, we end up at the graveyard where the loot is buried, cue the showdown music. I won't ruin the ending if you haven't seen the movie, but I will add that there's a "Kobayashi Maru" moment, if you follow my drift. (And I know you "Wrath of Khan" fans do.) Let's just say that the final showdown illustrates how trust (and the lack thereof) is, once again, key to the whole film. One of the three in the showdown knows something that the others don't.

What more is there to say? Probably a little behind "For a Few Dollars More," in my book, but not by much. Still a great film. And, again, great music.

Btw, CL has complained that "The Outlaw Josie Wales" is the best Clint Eastwood film. It's next in my queue, so I'll chime in on that soon. (I haven't seen it in probably twenty years. And I'm old enough now where that can be true.) And it's "A Fistful of Dollars" that is based on "Yojimbo," not this film.