The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Leone, 1966) follows three different men on a quest for gold in the form of a long archetypal narrative structure. These 3 men, named in the title as such, each have their own way of getting to this treasure, their paths inevitably crossing. Leone’s last installment of the “Man with No Name” trilogy illustrates the humanistic nature of men and how certain traits are rewarded. Most interesting is the relationship between Blondie and Tuco (Eastwood and Wallach). The position of power in their relationship is constantly shifting - Blondie using Tuco, Tuco getting back at Blondie – they use each other. When the two chance upon the infamous Bill Carson who reveals the whereabouts of the money, ironically he reveals the general location to one, and the specific grave where it is buried to the other. Tuco and Blondie have no choice but to help each other if they want to see the treasure. The third party in this story, “the bad” Angel Eyes, lives up to the name, also hunting for the money through the guise of serving in the Yankee army. Lee van Cleef is positively sinister, all in black, on his prancing black Andalusian stallion, always following through with his jobs to the death, so he says.

Rather than a story of idealism, heroism, and something “greater than man,” the film deals explicitly with the human nature of greed and fairness. Unlike some present day westerns like Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau, 2011) which throws at us clichéd themes of coming together against a common enemy – yes, the whites and Indians ban together to fight the aliens – Leone takes a look at human nature, leaving idealism aside. Even “the good” has his own interests at heart, but he’s fair. Leone’s story is a depiction of what makes humans tick – in this case, money. Unlike classic westerns (specifically early American westerns by the likes of John Ford), the protagonist is not necessarily the hero. The antagonist is clearly bad - personified by Angel Eyes, he defies the code of Western honor from the beginning, shooting a child. But the hero is not quite as clear, perhaps not there at all. The question of what makes man good is not so clearly defined either. In the classic old west the rules of the game are black/white, good/evil, hero/villain; however Leone is able to muddle right and wrong in favor of showing the humanism of Blondie and Tuco, who are concerned with their own well being rather than something bigger than themselves.

Most beautiful is the rhythmic montage taken straight from the pages of Vertov, particularly at the final duel in the circular middle of the graveyard where the treasure waits at a grave marked “Unkown.” Not only does the editing cut in perfect time with Ennio Morricone's score – who frequently collaborated with Leone – but the movement from eye to gun to hand to eye over and back again creates a thrilling lead up to the demise of Angel Eyes. Regardless of the length of this film, the final scene, an editing masterpiece, is worth the wait.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly certainly takes a classic western plot line of men seeking treasure and allows us to look at the characters under a humanistic lens. It is a refreshing derivative of the classics we see with Ford and Hawks. Leone makes his autuerist mark on this film as well – a nice final installment to his trilogy.