Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (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 | 2 wins & 6 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) (Clint Eastwood) is a professional gunslinger who is out trying to earn a few dollars. Angel Eyes (The Bad) (Lee Van Cleef) is a hitman who always commits to a task and sees it through, as long as he is paid to do so. And Tuco (The Ugly) (Eli Wallach) is a wanted outlaw trying to take care of his own hide. Tuco and Blondie share a partnership together making money off of 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 (Antonio Casale), 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

spaghetti western | shootout | man with no name | famous opening theme | outlaw | 

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Taglines:

The Man with No Name Returns!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

14+

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite playing a Mexican outlaw, Eli Wallach was of Polish-Jewish descent.

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Goofs

The cartridges seen on Angel Eyes' bandoleer did not only not fit his percussion cap revolver but were full metal jacketed. FMJ ammunition was not developed until 1882.

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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. I...

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Crazy Credits

Although Eli Wallach has the most screen time and is one of the titular characters, he is credited as "...and Eli Wallach in the role of Tuco" after all the other actors' names appear.

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Alternate Versions

The additional 14min in the original version (Italian release, then DVD bonuses) are only transitions scenes, heavily depicting the gloomy war background.

• The first additional scene (the longest) comes right after Tuco failed to hang Blondie. Sentenza tracks Bill Carson and investigates among derelict confederate soldiers. He learns that the 3rd regiment has flown through the desert "which is not much better than the Union prison." [DAY]
• After the scene in the desert where Bill Carson shares his secret, Tuco, steering the carriage in a gray uniform, asks a group of Confederate soldiers where he can find a doctor for Blondie. He says he is Bill Carson then learns that the San Antonio mission is just a few miles away. [NIGHT]
• While Tuco enjoys his railroad trip (with Corporal Wallace), Sentenza and Blondie are on their way to the cemetery. They stopped for the night by a river. Strangers show up, Blondie shots one and then learn they're Sentenza's henchmen. There are 5 new comrades plus Sentenza. Blondie: "6 - the perfect number." Sentenza: "I thought 3 was the perfect number." Blondie: "Yes, but in my gun there's room for 6 bullets."

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Connections

Referenced in I cento passi (2000)

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Soundtracks

The Ecstasy of Gold
Written by Ennio Morricone

User Reviews

You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those who have rated this movie 10 stars and those who are wrong.

Best western in history, best soundtrack in history. Mesmerizing acting by the 3 main characters, Eli Wallach is the standout star of the film. Cinematography is really well done and the shots are beautiful. The ending is absolutely perfect.

Details

Country:

Italy Spain West Germany USA

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

23 December 1966 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Le bon, la brute et le truand

Filming Locations:

Mini Hollywood, Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$25,100,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,253,751

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 (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1