The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

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UK Release Date. 6 September 1968
Certification. 18
Running Time. 2 hours 28 mins
Director. Sergio Leone
Cast. Clint Eastwood, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef.
Rating. 82%

Review. 

Sergio Leone’s seminal western is nothing short of a masterclass in cinematic storytelling. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly was Leone’s first real dalliance into the realm of the epic, an art form he would continue to explore in Once Upon A Time In The West and his final film, Once Upon A Time In America. 

It is a riveting, breathtaking and supremely stylish film - from the opening credits to the final shot - and one that solidified Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood as the two most influential talents in the genre since John Ford and John Wayne. In my mind, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly defined Leone and Eastwood, placing them ahead of the pairing that brought the audience Stagecoach, The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly culminates in a closing 45 minutes that includes three unforgettable set pieces - a trifecta that very few filmmakers could ever have pulled off. 

(i) The first depicts the prevalent agonies, moral ambiguities and brutal ironies of war as Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and Tuco's (Eli Wallach) journey is seemingly halted by the futile conflict for Branston Bridge.

(ii) The second set piece, following immediately on from the first, involves Tuco in the graveyard. The gold is his – if only he can find one, particular grave in a field of thousands. As he runs and skips manically from headstone to headstone, Leone’s camera spins and blurs, all the time accompanied by Ennio Morricone's soaring operatic score. Wallach, in undoubtedly the finest role of his career, conveys, in this sublime dance, both the ecstasy of a child and a reluctant realisation of utter desperation.

(iii) And then there is the final shootout. If the climactic duel in For A Few Dollars More was the prototype, then this is the final product. Leone's trademark editing - ever-accelerating - and extreme close-ups of the main protagonists' eyes, all leading up to the ultimate moment of truth.

A testament to the sheer, hedonistic uniqueness of cinema. 

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