The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

"This is one of my dad’s all-time favorite movies and I can see why! Things I liked about the film: Eli Wallach stole the show for me. He was hilarious and entertaining as Tuco. I was a little uncomfortable with him playing a Mexican man, but his stellar performance made me overlook that. The score was extremely well-done. It set the vibe right from the start and I loved the small variations made to the main motif for each of the main trio. Lastly, the script was very well-written. The dialogue was clever, especially the banter between Eastwood and Wallach. I also loved how Eastwood’s character, Blondie, was written. Even though he’s the clear protagonist, it’s not in your face about it. He’s an anti-hero. He does bad things but he has subtle moments of humanity, like comforting a dying soldier by covering him in a jacket and lending him his cigar. It made the film much more nuanced. Things I did not like about the film: I hated how the audio did not match up with the lips of the actors. I believe this was because it was originally partly in Italian because it’s a spaghetti western, but it really annoyed me. I also did not like how long some shots were. It’s like Leone built up the perfect amount of tension but then made a scene go on for twice the amount of time it needed to. It made the film feel longer than it was."

"Great movie"

"Shadowbear will stand on two legs and look around the room, ready to draw his bone, if you whistle the entire theme song"

"Technically a rewatch, but easily the best of the Dollars trilogy. Thoroughly engrossing, on top of the fact that the score is on another level here compared to the previous 2 films. I especially love how the film manages to say a lot (and build tension) with hardly any dialogue, on top of setting up the 3 main characters (with the score helping out here too) and the characters weaving in and out of the American Civil War setting (adding emotional heft in the process). Easily one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Eli Wallach in particular is really incredible here."

"Blondie!"

"The intro alone is worth the three hours you spend, let alone the pure excitement you gain watching the rest of it"

"Wha wha whaa"

"The king of the spaghetti westerns! "

"Eli (Tuco) stole the show, even though Clint is great too. Haven’t watched this in years and was surprised at the subtle humor throughout. "

"Honestly? Way too long and bloated. Really could’ve left most of the fat on the cutting room floor."