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 #10 | 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

Sergio Leone: [theme] The Blonde, Sentenza, and Tuco.

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Goofs

When Tuco and Blondie seek Angel Eyes in the deserted town, they discover a note that says "see you later idiots" but if you look closely at the paper, it is actually a page of the film script.

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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

The original UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to shorten the beating up of Bill Carson's woman (reduced to 1 slap), remove the scene of Mario Brega's head being battered against a rock by Tuco, and to extensively shorten the torture and beating of Tuco by around 2 minutes (much of the scene was completely cut from the film). The cuts were fully restored in the 1999 video release.

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Connections

Referenced in Showdown at the Dirt Cheap Liquor & Grocery (2016)

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Soundtracks

The Ecstasy of Gold
Written by Ennio Morricone

User Reviews

One of the Best of all Time

This film probably had the largest impact on my life. It set the tone for everything I then got interested in. American Civil War. Film Music. Clint Eastwood. Real Westerns. This is the best of the Dollars Trilogy and by far one of the best Westerns of all time. It has drama, comedy, cracking dialogue, some of the most brutal battle scenes - especially around the bridge - that I'd seen up to then, music to die for and set pieces that just ooze atmosphere and tension. I have never forgotten the end shoot-out. This was unique; 3 people?! You can't do that. But Leone did, and he did it brilliantly - all cameras and music. I have now seen this film too many times to count but I'll be back for another blast of buono, brutto, cattivo, someday. My son owes his name to this film. Yep, that there is Clinton.