The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
a film by Sergio Leone
released through United Artists in 1967
A man looks past the camera, thinking. The wind kicks up the dust as a smile crosses
his face. The music tells the rest.
Despite
the title of the movie, nobody is good, but these three men of the West are,
each one, daring, patient, cruel. The
simple story of a lost cache of Confederate gold becomes a masterpiece of the
genre by taking the risks an American western would not. It's a long movie, and there is no hero. There is no romance. Nor is there much dialogue. (Good thing, too 'cause with only a few
actors speaking English, the spotty dubbing wears quickly.) Its simple ebb and flow of betrayal and
revenge is livened by some very intriguing secondary characters, like Tuco's
brother the priest, and the alcoholic Union officer. Also, the film is huge in scope, ranging
across trackless desert to a prison camp, from abandoned towns to an army
encampment a mile wide, and, finally, a graveyard waiting to exchange its booty
for a fresh stiff.
The
least likable of the characters, the greedy sadist Angel Eyes, learns of the
missing gold when he's sent to kill a man at his home. The thought obsesses him from then on. Somehow he's managed the formidable trick of
sidelining as a bounty hunter while soldiering in the Union Army. Meticulously he reconstructs what happened,
less by deduction than by brute force.
He moves in and out of the picture like a recurring nightmare.
The
other two men are obligated to protect each other to ensure a chance at the
gold. They never become friends, but are
united by mutual respect. Tuco is a
garrulous con who's had a hand in scores of petty crimes. He's perpetually foiled by bad luck but
always manages to stay alive with some quick thinking and an even quicker
gun. He, too, is obsessed by the gold,
but at least makes us laugh.
Blondie
is the one guy that keeps his head on straight.
But that's just his nickname, according to the millions of fans this
picture has captured. To them Clint
Eastwood embodies The Man With No Name.
He is the laconic drifter—dispassionate, sarcastic, just as much in
control whether he's pointing a gun or facing one. What makes him Good is, perhaps, his
kindness. Though seemingly incapable of sadness
or empathy, Blondie is the only one to care for the dying men they run across
through their adventures, and he is briefly seen petting a kitty!
The
devastating impact of the triple shootout climax is the result of cumulative
revelation. Much of the film is a series
of semi-disassociated scenes contributing little to the narrative thrust of
treasure hunting, while revealing a lot about character. When the end is at hand we know what they're
capable of.
And we know the full potential of the Western is still unmet. This film proves that any genre can be given a fresh start when great writing and inspired casting are entrusted to a director willing to take risks. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is a devious wonder.
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