IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL CATTIVO
IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL CATTIVO (THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY) (1966).
Classic direction, impressive cast, memorable performances, cool screenplay, sweeping widescreen cinematography & a powerful n haunting score... Together all this, gave birth to the greatest western film of all time... The Good, The Bad & The Ugly... which just gets better n better with each viewing.
It is a story of 3 men competing to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery. Sergio Leone's direction deserves a bow. He really brought out brilliant performances from the cast & even better from the technical crew. One of the best part of this film is the use of camera angles... brilliant capture of the barren vast landscapes, effective use of close-ups to create tension, this movie is perfect in every way. Even Quentin Tarantino (director of Pulp Fiction) calls it the best directed film ever & he is, arguably, correct too.
The Trio makes this film what it is... A Classic Epic. Clint Eastwood plays Blondie, The Good and is, without a doubt, one of the most stylish characters ever. Lee Van Cleef did surprisingly well as Angel Eyes, The Bad. But the best part for me was Eli Wallach's character of Tuco, The Ugly. Completely Unpredictable. Truly representing the ugly side of all of us.. a friend in one instant, a foe in the next. Add to tht, he also provides the comic relief to the viewers. For me, this is more of the story of Tuco.. as we also come to know about his origins while the background of Blondie & Angel Eyes remain mysteries.
The only thing tht might turn off the viewers is its length and slow pacing. But brilliant story narration demands patience & all great films prove it too, be it The Godfather or Schindler's List. If you cant stand it, go watch your crappy Transformers & other shits :|
One of the aspects of this masterpiece, tht cannot be missed in any circumstances is its musical score composed by Ennio Morricone. Widely considered as one of the greatest film scores in film history, I'll make only one change to tht... remove tht "one of" and term it as "The Greatest Film Score in Film History".
The music of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly is perfection. The way the music drives this film is absolutely amazing. The theme song is already the most recognizable piece of music ever & you've already heard it, even if you have never seen this film coz it has been imitated countless times, even today.
The movie begins with a bang, with Ennio Morricone's main title song in full flow... then there is an extraordinary introduction of the Trio . And after tht, there is no looking back. The movie has its shares of brilliant tension creating situations and it reaches sky high during the final showdown. Music gives the maximum depth to this scene, starting from the moment we see the cemetery to the end of the showdown.
The epic showdown tht is.. The famous Mexican stand-off finale at Sad Hill Cemetery.. is certainly, one of the most electrifying climaxes ever filmed, and the music is an integral component of the drama, making it even more bone-chilling & breathtaking.
The musical genius of Ennio Morricone & incredible direction of Sergio Leone is a combination that will probably never be equaled. These two stuffs alone make this movie... The Good. On adding the great performances put by the Trio, we get... The Better. Add to it, the cinematography, editing & other technical aspects... it becomes... The Best.
Its Good. Its Better. Its Best.
Rating: 10/10
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