I'm not sure what the term "spaghetti western" denotes, but this one of them, and by accounts, one of the best of them. By my account, it's one of the best of all movies! A 9 (so good, that I own it!).
The story is complex and involved, but it boils down to three men after buried army money. The good, Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and the ugly, Tuco, used to work together but now enjoy almost killing one another. The mistrust increases when each of them get a half of the secret of where the money is buried. An old rival, the bad Angel Eyes, has heard of this money and uses his position in the army to get the two men. With the civil war waging around them, the three of them lie, cheat, torture and nearly kill each other for the gold. They race from open landscape to civil battle to the graveyard for a sublime ending.
The Bad is truly bad. He'll use every dirty trick to get what he wants, plus he wears black. The Ugly is the comedic kniving bad luck victim of circumstances. And while the results of his efforts go from good to bad and back and forth again, you might just end up routing for him. The Good, is the classic stoic silent guy who can sharp shot anything, even a hangman's noose. He feels the pathos of the war dying solders but anyone in his way will soon be dead.
There are so many good things in film. The close up portrait photography is something that more films should do. The complex story is something to really entertain the mind. The characters and their mannerisms add to the whole feel. And finally, the music is divine - especially "The Ecstasy of Gold" when Tuco is searching the graveyard (the best rendition is on the album S&M - San Fransisco Orchestra and Metallica).
It is a long film as it should be - nobody talks for the first ten minutes and then the paces goes slowly to the climax over three hours later. But you don't need to make sure that you are comfortable, you wont notice how cosy or not you are because you'll be so engrossed in the story and characters!
The story is complex and involved, but it boils down to three men after buried army money. The good, Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and the ugly, Tuco, used to work together but now enjoy almost killing one another. The mistrust increases when each of them get a half of the secret of where the money is buried. An old rival, the bad Angel Eyes, has heard of this money and uses his position in the army to get the two men. With the civil war waging around them, the three of them lie, cheat, torture and nearly kill each other for the gold. They race from open landscape to civil battle to the graveyard for a sublime ending.
The Bad is truly bad. He'll use every dirty trick to get what he wants, plus he wears black. The Ugly is the comedic kniving bad luck victim of circumstances. And while the results of his efforts go from good to bad and back and forth again, you might just end up routing for him. The Good, is the classic stoic silent guy who can sharp shot anything, even a hangman's noose. He feels the pathos of the war dying solders but anyone in his way will soon be dead.
There are so many good things in film. The close up portrait photography is something that more films should do. The complex story is something to really entertain the mind. The characters and their mannerisms add to the whole feel. And finally, the music is divine - especially "The Ecstasy of Gold" when Tuco is searching the graveyard (the best rendition is on the album S&M - San Fransisco Orchestra and Metallica).
It is a long film as it should be - nobody talks for the first ten minutes and then the paces goes slowly to the climax over three hours later. But you don't need to make sure that you are comfortable, you wont notice how cosy or not you are because you'll be so engrossed in the story and characters!
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