Review of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) by Aaron V — 11 Jan 2014

The pinnacle of old Spaghetti Western movies - made in Europe by Europeans on obviously low budgets with even some dubbed voice-overs since some actors didn't speak English. Even if you don't like westerns, you have likely heard the legendary musical score, and while the slower pace is definitely pre-digital age, the story will catch your attention.

Even if you have seen the movies inspired by this one, you will still find an unpredictable plot and intriguing characters. The title names the three characters in a dog-eat-dog world of bounty hunters in the old west.

The result is many "bad" characters with no values except self preservation, no motivation except power and no goal except money. In a mix like this, life is cheap. Few characters have names because there's no reason to care about them.

The "good" character played by Clint Eastwood is known only by his nickname, Blondie. We see much that is "ugly." The beatings and killings are rough even by today's standards, minus extra blood.

Even Blondie is just marginally good. He puts lives of wanted men on the line to collect reward money and saves them only to collect reward money in the next town. But at least he shows some value to human life.

He's disgusted by the loss of life as Union and Confederate soldiers clash over a simple bridge. As Blondie comes upon a dying soldier, he lays his own coat over the wounded young boy and puts his cigarette between the boy's lips for a bit of relief in his final moments.

Blondie is no saint or even a good citizen, but he has a conscience. He also knows enough to hold information to keep himself alive, and never underestimates how "bad" and "ugly" humans can be to one another.

Ugliness goes all the way down to the costumes and makeup. Clothes and faces are dusty, sweaty and muddy. It's a rough, realistic old west. The good in the film is it's notion to not need anything idealized or sugarcoated in a world where people are only out for themselves in a world without God.

This is an ugly world where the most ruthless win. The final moments reveal the sharp wits of the "good" against those who represent pure greed. The last shootout is a paradigm of intelligent scriptwriting and cinematic tension.

It won't leave you with an inspired message or an uplifting outlook, but the skilled storytelling will tickle your mind and give you something to talk about.