Lambie Reviews The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Year: 1966
Accolades: One of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die; Essential Western
Review on Letterboxd: 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' review by Avalanche

This is a film with a simple enough storyline: three men (all of varying degrees of morality) all decide to go on the hunt for $200 000 worth of gold that is buried in a cemetery. Since they all only ever have part of the information leading to its whereabouts, they are constantly forming uneasy alliances or trying to outwit one another in order to get a bigger share of the gold for themselves.

Despite the simple plot, the film is nothing short of masterful. It has anything you'd ever want in a western, and everything you'd want that could stem from the basics of the plot. Leone uses everything at his disposal to create the sense of tension and unease as these characters get closer and closer to the gold, constantly backstabbing each other only to wind up again in a situation where they are going to need to cooperate once more. The fact that the film is set in the midst of the American civil war only adds to their problems, and is another element they must factor in to their plans in order to keep each other alive just long enough to outwit each other once more.

You can't talk about the film without talking about Ennio Morricone's iconic score. That main theme that everyone has come to know and love is prevalent throughout the whole film, but only when it is necessary. As with the cinematography and editing, Leone knows when to use the music, and when not to. The first ten minutes or so after the opening credits are presented in virtual silence, and all it does is increase the tension by further keeping you in the dark as to what is going on and what about to happen.

The film no doubt has its faults, but after watching it you would be hard pressed to remember what many of them were. You become so engrossed with what is happening on screen, and the why it is being presented to you, that you don't notice the conveniences in the plot or the questionable decisions people make. This is a truly great film.