If you're gonna shoot, shoot; don't talk.",
3.5/4 stars

Civil War, gold is up for grabs, and three dirty cowboys all want it. Seems like a regular Western. It's a good thing film-directing God Sergio Leone and cowboy-extraordinaire Clint Eastwood paired up, because in that genre, there isn't a better match. To this day, there hasn't been a movie that comes close to the depth and craft that his movie produces. It's a beautifully woven-together piece of cinema that Sergio knows what to do with. He creates a feeling of both intensity and humor by portraying the three key characters with one trait only; The Good (Clint Eastwood), The Bad (Lee Van Cleef), and The Ugly (Eli Wallach). These characters follow their own instincts, whether it be good or bad, and let nothing stand in their way of recovering the gold. The only problem is, they have to work together to get it. One knows the place of the gold (a graveyard), and one knows which grave it's buried under. Just how long does it take until the cowboys let their pride and betrayal ruin their treasure hunt? Though the beautiful directing is immensely distinct and original, the movie is very plot-driven. The characters don't matter to us. We could have The Good play The Ugly and it would still be the same outcome. But from Sergio's vision, comes a truly magnificent submission into the psychology of the Civil War civilians and determined, gun-shooting varmints.
At first, we meet the characters by obviously seeing them do what they're intended to do. The Ugly robs a store, The Bad kills a few people, and The Good saves someone's life. After that, we see that The Ugly and The Good are actually working together to do what dirty cowboys do best; collect their money. Upon finding out about the treasure, all three characters become The Determined, and both work together and hang each other by the necks (literally) to find the gold. From beginning to end, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" is utterly entertaining and unique. It can be called both a Western and a War movie. As the plot develops and thickens, we see more of the setting than in all other Westerns combined. Everything is twice as big, and everything is twice as dirty. A definite classic, that defined cinema in more than one way, with its memorable score, to the never before seen directing, the movie stands as one of best westerns of all time.

Review by mdtinney