So I watched this 2 weeks ago and I'm still stunned by it.
It really deserves to be in IMDb's Top 10!

During the first half I thought "Hmm just as simple as that - this won't be in my top 10".
But then the shoe was on the other foot & then it turned again, and then again, ... and the ending was a bit different as I thought which I really liked :)

I loved the camera work - there were little moments of ego-perspective and sometimes the camera was placed little beside & above an arm holdig a gun pointing at the rival - which was perfect. Considering this was made in 1967 blows my mind - proof what a great director Sergio Leone was!
It's written pretty damn good, even that in the first 10 minutes nobody said a word ^^
It was all just eyes & footsteps, eyes & footsteps :D
It actually felt like a Quentin Tarantino production - I am very certain that his works were inspired by this!

There are just a few movies that didn't let me go afterwards & this is one of them.
I was whistling the soundtrack for days :)

So to all the 186 trakt users who have this on the watchlist I say:
Go for it - it's awesome!

My favorite film of all time. I have no idea how many times I have seen it, but it's many. Those three hours just flies by in seemingly no time at all. I just finished watching the restored "Mondo-version" and it's stellar. I imagine that this is what this film is supposed to look like. Sadly, I have never gotten the opportunity to watch it on a big screen...

Clint Eastwood is perfectly stoic and subtle, relying more on facial expressions than words. Eli Wallach is funny and uses his fantastic body language, along with some great one-liners. And Lee van Cleef with those eyes - I can see why Sergio wanted to work with him - since "his eyes pierce holes in the screen".

Sergios uses of long takes, wide shots and extreme close-ups are a thing of wonder. He is my favorite director ever and in my opinion never made a bad - or even mediocre film. Of course his films are so great much because of the work of Ennio Morricone. You only need to hum two notes from this movie and everybody knows which movie you are referring to. That is magic. Tragic that he never won an Oscar beacuse of that mix up after "Once Upon a Time in America". And it was a crime that Sergio Leone never even got a nomination in his lifetime.

Very good no doubt about it, even if I feel it's an odd fitting third installment of the Dollars trilogy.

In case this review sounds negative at any point, I wanna explicitly state for the avoidance of any doubt that 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' is very good! Any cons noted are relative.

I just feel like it's a drop-off from the brilliant double of 'A Fistful of Dollars' and 'For a Few Dollars More'. The near 3hr run time is one of the reasons, though the pacing is actually pretty good in fairness. I guess it's more so the plot, which is filled with an American Civil War setting which I didn't feel matched the characters.

The man in the middle/bounty hunting aspects of the original two films are perfect for the characters of Clint Eastwood & Co., whereas them tagging along for the war just felt odd; the story didn't feel as raw or volatile to me.

As stated, it's still - on its own merits - an entertaining western. Eastwood remains quality, while Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach are extremely worthy onscreen counterparts. I will say Van Cleef feels forgotten about, probably just by me, towards the end until he magically reappears. Still, as a trio they are really enjoyable. The plot away from the war is properly fun, much more in keeping to what I was expecting. The score is also awesome, yet again.

Minus the ACW and a shorter run time and I'd probably be classing this as great as AFOD and FAFDM. It's still very good though, which I evidently want to stress, and I'd definitely revisit it.

watched: "Extended English-language version".
Even though this version is the same as the original Italian release (177 minutes), but seemingly the US shortened run time is considered the true incarnation? Odd.

**One of the best, most famous and most iconic Westerns ever. More than a classic, it's mandatory.**

I'm not an expert nor do I want to sound like one, but I think this is one of the most famous western films ever made, despite being shot by an Italian director and being more European than American. Sérgio Leone was one of the most notable directors of his time and he left us, in this film, one of his masterpieces.

This is one of those movies that is almost perfect. Problems and failures are scarce and reside in minimal details that end up not making a big difference in the overall work. The story was very well written and takes place in the midst of the American Civil War, a time when violence was part of everyday life. In this environment of violence and mutual distrust, two men are looking for a treasure buried in a cemetery: the problem is the fact that each one knows only part of the location (that is, one knows the location of the cemetery and the other knows which grave it is) and there is a third man, a fearsome assassin, willing to do anything to take all the gold.

For this film, Leone put together a very reasonable cast, mostly European, and three great North American actors with enormous talent: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. I believe that they knew how to make the most intelligent and skilful use of this film, giving us a truly remarkable job. For this three actors, this is the best cinematographic work of their career, or one of the best, consecrating them as great Western movies actors. The film, however, seems to give Wallach more and better opportunities. While watching it, I got the feeling that he is the actor who receives most attention and best material, in addition to having known how to improvise at the right moments and in creative and intelligent ways.

The film has great visual beauty, emphasized by the cinematography, the filming work and the good choice and design of sets and costumes. At a time when the correct period recreation was something that cinema sometimes blatantly ignored, this film did the opposite, giving us a realistic and believable vision of the past and placing the film in a specific place and time. I'm not saying it was a one hundred percent successful effort, but it was definitely a decisive step in the right direction when it comes to period films. The special effects and visuals are excellent, the best there was then, and the whole film has an epic, grandiose, expensive feel. It is also very long, with almost three hours in length, but it is worth not being afraid or giving up on because of that. Being a Western film, it is quite evident that there is a lot of violence, so it is not a film for children. Even so, it is not gratuitous violence. Finally, we owe Ennio Morricone a salute for the excellent soundtrack he composed. Among his vast work, this is not my favorite nor the best, but it is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable and iconic pieces, a work that we know, even without having seen this film, and that has become part of our collective memory. We can't ask for more than that.

There is one word to define The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. And that word is “transcendent”. This movie is not only the pinnacle of the Spaghetti Western, but it transcended into the pinnacle of the Western genre in itself. It’s safe to say it transcends that too, and can be considered one of the greatest pieces of filmmaking ever. It counts with memorable performances by three different leads, a story that breaks the “black and white” concepts of morale, and an original score that can only be defined by the word “epic”.

Directed by the man responsible for the revitalization of the western in Italy, Sergio Leone, the film does an incredible job of introducing every character, and showing each and every one has a dubious concept of moral values. “The Bad”, Sentenza, or Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), is shown to be a ruthless, greedy gun for hire, but also someone who lives by the mantra of always getting the job done. “The Ugly”, Tuco, is a greedy backstabber, but he is also a man who comes from an extremely poor environment and family conflicts, showing a bit of determinism in the film. “The Good”, Blondie (Clint Eastwood) is not much better himself. While he is surely the less greedy one, he also has no problem with killing and backstabbing other people. To put it in perspective, he is ironically announced as “The Good” right after abandoning a man to die in the desert.

The story follows all these three personalities as they engage in their particular gold rush: a buried treasure that is hidden in a cemetery. In order to find it, they must form an uneasy alliance, while trying to outrun each other, and claim the prized gold alone. All of this while the Civil War happens around them.

The performances are nothing short of amazing. It goes to show the range that Lee Van Cleef had once this villainous role is compared to his work in the previous installment of the trilogy, For a Few Dollars More, as a heroic, friendly and almost fatherly figure. His presence is as intimidating as ever, and one of the best he has given in his lengthy career. Eastwood is as eye-catching as one would expect: his deep stares and lines delivered in a whispery, yet gravelly voice, defined The Man With No Name. But the best of the bunch has to be Eli Wallach. His comedic timing is as precise as any bullet shot in this film. But the most outstanding part of his characterization is that while he is extremely funny, he also manages to be a credible threat for the “hero”, Blondie.

The original music score for this film deserves a whole book just to talk about it, and it still wouldn’t do it justice. It’s simply a lesson by the maestro, Ennio Morricone, on how music can change a film. Thanks to a track such as L’estasi dell’oro (The Ecstasy of Gold), a man running around a cemetery becomes one of the most epic scenes ever made. Thanks to a composition such as Il Triello, three men staring at each other, pondering their options for almost seven minutes straight, becomes tense enough to have the viewer on the edge of its seat. There is simply no other way to put it: Morricone crafted one of the best scores in this art’s history.

At the end of the day, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is more than just a great western film. It’s a show of great acting, writing, directing and music scoring. It’s a real once in a lifetime classic, that has been around for a long time, and not aged a little bit, and will still be talked about for generations of cinephiles to come. To conclude, all I can say is… There are two kinds of people, my friend. Those who have watched this film, and those who have not. You watch.