Review of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) by Kyle20Ellis — 14 Mar 2022

Well what do you know? Another amazing movie from Sergio Leone. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly has so much good about it, and quintessentially it is one of the best westerns ever made. There may be nothing new about the story at first glance, but that's the point, Leone is paying homage to the Hollywood western, and despite the initial simplicity there is also a complexity mainly in the film's characters. Regardless of whether simple or complex it is, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly does have a compelling and brilliantly written story.

But there are other assets that make The Good, The Bad and the Ugly so good. The dialogue is always excellent, while Leone's direction is superb once again. The characters are great and are superbly played. Clint Eastwood gives one of his best performances ever here, and Eli Wallach is perfectly cast and more than a match for him. I was also very impressed with Lee Van Cleef, who I recognised from High Noon and such, but he makes a bigger impression here. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly is also the most violent of the trilogy, and one of the most violent of the genre, not a bad thing whatsoever.

The pace was spot on too, even though the film is nearly three hours long, it is never boring or dull. The best things though about The Good, The Bad and the Ugly are the visuals and Ennio Morricone's score. The film looks amazing, the cinematography is gorgeous and the sweeping images and scenery are very lovingly crafted. Morricone's score is even more impressive than that, it is simply one of the best film scores I've ever heard, and if I had to say which was Morricone's best score, I would immediately say this.

Overall, there is nothing bad or ugly about the film. The film is amazing.