The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Luciano Vincenzoni (story), Sergio Leone (story)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef

Top Rated Movies #9 | 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eli Wallach	...	Tuco
Clint Eastwood	...	Blondie
Lee Van Cleef	...	Sentenza / Angel Eyes
Aldo Giuffrè	...	Alcoholic Union Captain (as Aldo Giuffre')
Luigi Pistilli	...	Father Pablo Ramirez
Rada Rassimov	...	Maria
Enzo Petito	...	Storekeeper
Claudio Scarchilli	...	Mexican Peon
John Bartha	...	Sheriff (as John Bartho)
Livio Lorenzon	...	Baker
Antonio Casale	...	Jackson / Bill Carson
Sandro Scarchilli	...	Mexican Peon
Benito Stefanelli	...	Member of Angel Eyes' Gang
Angelo Novi	...	Monk
Antonio Casas	...	Stevens

Storyline

Blondie (The Good) is a professional gunslinger who is out trying to earn a few dollars. Angel Eyes (The Bad) is a hit man who always commits to a task and sees it through, as long as he is paid to do so. And Tuco (The Ugly) is a wanted outlaw trying to take care of his own hide. Tuco and Blondie share a partnership together making money off Tuco's bounty, but when Blondie unties the partnership, Tuco tries to hunt down Blondie. When Blondie and Tuco come across a horse carriage loaded with dead bodies, they soon learn from the only survivor (Bill Carson) that he and a few other men have buried a stash of gold in a cemetery. Unfortunately Carson dies and Tuco only finds out the name of the cemetery, while Blondie finds out the name on the grave. Now the two must keep each other alive in order to find the gold. Angel Eyes (who had been looking for Bill Carson) discovers that Tuco and Blondie met with Carson and knows they know the location of the gold. All he needs is for the two to ...

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Plot Keywords:

spaghetti western | new mexico territory | sonora mexico | arizona desert | arizona | 

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Taglines:

A classic western! A classic music theme!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy Spain West Germany

Language:

Italian English Spanish

Release Date:

29 December 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Good, the Ugly, the Bad

Filming Locations:

Mini Hollywood, Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,100,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas, Constantin Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

161 min 186 min (dubbed) 179 min (2003 extended English) 142 min (1968) (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital (2003 Extended English version)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Due to the striking height difference between Clint Eastwood and Eli Wallach (over nine inches), it was sometimes difficult to include them in the same frame.

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Goofs

In the retreat scene in the town a large unit of Confederate foot infantry is shown as marching with the retreating column. In reality, Sibley's force consisted entirely of mounted units and a single battalion of artillery. No foot infantry were used in the campaign on the Confederate side.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Stevens: You're... from Baker?
[Angel Eyes is silent, eating a bowl of stew and staring at him]
Stevens: Tell Baker that I told him all that I know already and I want to live in peace, understand? That it's no use to go on tormenting me! I know nothing at all about that case of coins.
[Angel Eyes stops eating and looks interested]
Stevens: Now that gold has disappeared, but if he'd listened we could have avoided this altogether. I went to the Army court; there were no witnesses. They couldn't uncover any more....

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Alternate Versions

Syndicated on US TV in 2006 as a 95-minute truncated version, missing almost half of its original length.

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Connections

Referenced in Mon Colle Knights: The Good, the Bad, and the Mondo (2001)

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Soundtracks

The Story Of A Soldier
by Tommie Connor

User Reviews

A Cinematic Masterpiece - And Also The Most Entertaining Western Of All Time

I'll keep this brief: This is simply one of the most entertaining and best looking westerns ever. Director Sergio Leone's unique use of the camera - long, uninterrupted shots in wide angle alternating with extreme close-ups - and Ennio Morricone's unique, wildly inventive soundtrack are blended to perfection. The career-making performances by Eli Wallach (hilarious), Lee Van Cleef (chilling) and Clint Eastwood (cool) are nothing short of iconic, and the film's finale is so good it will send shivers of cinematic joy down your spine. It's a movie of epic proportions; it's funny and violent, but underneath it all there is a strong anti-war message. It's a cinematic masterpiece and one of the most influential movies of all time. Oh, and it's also tons of fun, and you should see it on the biggest screen possible. 10 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/