This is probably the first Clint Eastwood flick I had seen and also probably the best, it surely has left a lasting impression on my mind because of its own class, style and performances. It may be a 4 decade old movie but hasn’t lost any of its charm. Even watching it today, I felt it stands out , a true quality venture by Sergio Leone who has visualized the complete scenario all too well.
THE CAST
Eli Wallach:aka Tuco Ramirez (the ugly)
Clint Eastwood:aka Blondie (the good)
Lee Van Cleef:aka Angel Eyes/Sentenza (the bad)
Who’ll hold onto his wits in the face of avarice – The good, the bad or the ugly ?
THE GOOD
Better known as ‘Blondie’, this fellow is something like an outlaw who makes money by handing over escaped convicts to the authorities and then frees them when they’re on the verge of being hung, by shooting the rope that holds them in order to make money out of them again. Of course he shares the spoils with the convict concerned, the good fella that he is. An excellent shot and one with a golden heart and a predeliction for having fun!
THE BAD
More commonly known as ‘Angel Eyes’, he is a sly fellow. He finds a person when he has to find him/her, he knows a character when he sees one and when he is paid, he will see the job through, come what may. His lust for money and power is great and maims people for his own benefit irrespective of the implications.
THE UGLY
‘Tuco’ is the name of this wretched fellow, who failing to make it as a good denizen has turned to unscrupulous means. Pilfering, looting, murder are the ways of living for this ‘numero uno’ marauder.
The story is essentially a battle or a race between the above 3 for attaining $200,000 in gold, a fortune a certain Bill Carson had hit when they accidentally stumble upon this secret. As the events of the story unfold, it eventually turns out that Tuco knows the location of the cemetery where the gold is hidden away, Blondie knows the name of the grave where it’s buried and ‘Angel Eyes’ having tortured Tuco to spill his half of the secret wants to team up with Blondie to attain this fortune knowing Blondie is smart enough not to spill his half in order to save his neck. Although Blondie and Tuco have a love-hate relationship, Blondie knows the venture would be more in his favour if he set out upon it with Tuco, fooling whom was no big deal. Hence, he waits for Tuco to arrive on the scene ,so that he can give ‘Angel Eyes’ the slip and proceed on this enterprise with Tuco. What happens next? Does he successfully execute his plans? Does Tuco agree? Who gets the gold ? Does anyone get it at all? Is it a cakewalk for anyone? What ordeals will they face? Find these exciting answers yourself……
PERFORMANCES
Eli Wallach:I feel he is the heart of the movie, as he arguably has the biggest role to play and it is he whose humorous, clumsy actions and ideas keep us laughing throughout. Then again, it is because of his dumb and goofy demeanor which allows Eastwood to carry out ‘The he can do no wrong’ role successfully.
Clint Eastwood:He’s all about style and attitude. He makes the perfect cowboy here. With a perfect countenance to go with his outfit, he looks all at home as if he was born to be a cowboy. Chalks out a commendable performance, terse in disposition but witty at he same time, he chooses his words perfectly and gorges them adroitly.
Lee Van Cleef:The character of ‘Bad’really suits him, he is oozing with evil inside out. Strikes one as a cool and heartless character who will strike when you least expect it. Makes a perfect villain.
DIRECTION:
Sergio Leoneis a hero as well here. This was the third successive venture with Eastwood in 3 years for him back in 1966, and it was his vision of how he’d present this not too extraordinary plot which made the movie an all time great that it is.
OTHER STUFF ABOUT THE MOVIE
1.The best thing about this flick is that it has a lot of style, the way everything happens , Eastwood being a major frontrunner here, which’ll lead to many incidents which are executed in a cool way. It won’t fail in you letting out the gasps when it does happen, which adds to the anticipation and excitement.
2.It’s got lots of humor in its repertoire, Eli being responsible for most of it. Such a thing was necessary for us to stay interested during the whole length of the movie. Otherwise it may have become too intense to handle.
3.The way each event occurs, it is clear to me that the director has put a lot of thought into it and yes you do see tons of creativity here ,which makes it all the more special.
4.I guess the surprising thing was the number of surprises it had, being the old flick it was I’d have expected it to be fairly predictable but it had its own storehouse of the ‘unexpected stuff’ ,entertaining all the way through.
5.They’ve made very good use of the ‘The good, bad and the ugly’ theme here which remains a popular one even today, summoning it in apt situations as and when required which adds to the much talked about style here. Ennio Morricone,like in the previous installments does a fabulous job once again with his unusual artistry.
6.If you love action it’s total action galore here, and it’s very fast and unpredictable indeed, the movie being set around the time when you didn’t need a permit for guns and blood ran freely like water.
7.For western movie hogs, I doubt if there would be any better film. I agree ‘A fistful of Dollars’ and ‘A few Dollars More’ are almost in the same league but not quite. You’ve got to have a whiff of this to understand its greatness.
8.The only not so good thing about the movie I can think of is the huge running time of 160 minutes. Although it’s enjoyable throughout, after watching the movie you would feel as if a huge load had been placed upon your head.
Blondie:“You may run the risks my friend, but I do the cutting. We cut down mypercentage…uhhh….Cigar? Might leave a few with my aim.”
Tuco:“ Hmm,… but if you miss,you’d better miss very well.Whoever doublecrosses me and leaves me alive,he understands nothing about Tuco,..herherhaha…..nothing!”
Overall it’s a wonderful experience and a must watch for those unfortunate enough not to have seen it thus far. Give it a try, you’ll love it!
