Article for Class Magazine.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Set in the Wild West of America during the civil war, but filmed in the deserts of Spain in 1966, The Good the Bad and the Ugly tells the story of three very different men with one thing in common, the desire for gold, who are on a quest for buried treasure.

The first is Blondie - the "Good". Played by Clint Eastwood, he is the ultimate hero of the Western genre. Tall dark and silent he speaks only when it is needed and is the fastest gunslinger in the West

The second is Tuco - the "Ugly". Played by Eli Wallach, he is the foul-mouthed, dirty, scheming rogue. Although everything he does is for personal gain, he is the emotional centre of the film, and by the time it is finished he is the character we know most about.

The third is Angel Eyes - the "Bad". Played by Lee Van Cleef, he is the heartless, cunning, almost robotic mercenary who would kill anyone for money.

In the beginning these three characters have seemingly no connection to each other. Until Blondie and Tuco team up for a while to make some easy money by scamming the local authorities, which seems to be going well until Blondie tires of Tuco's company. And so begins the main story of the film. Blondie betrays Tuco and leaves him stranded in the desert with no horse, no weapon and nothing to drink, where, swearing revenge, he slowly makes his way to the nearest town and gun store.

Meanwhile Angel Eyes is on the hunt for a Confederate soldier named Bill Carson who knows the location of a hidden case of treasure, and he is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way.

But then Tuco catches up with Blondie and exacts his revenge. He takes him into the middle of the desert where he taunts and tortures him. Until, just as Blondie seems about to die, a lone stagecoach full of dead and dying Confederate soldiers appears. Bill Carson, one of the soldiers in the wagon, injured and dying of dehydration convinces Tuco to give him some water in exchange for the location of a large amount of hidden gold (the same gold that Angel Eyes is on the hunt for). So Carson gives Tuco the name of the graveyard where the treasure is buried, but begs for water before he will give the name on the grave. But as Tuco leaves Carson alone to get the water, he succumbs to his wounds, but not before giving the name on the grave to Blondie.

This creates another tenuous partnership between Blondie and Tuco. Each needing to keep the other alive so that they can reach the treasure. Tuco has the name and location of the graveyard, and Blondie the name on the headstone. And once Angel Eyes learns of this development, the chase is on for the treasure.

Filmed in typical Sergio Leone style, and widely regarded as his best film, The Good the Bad and The Ugly, is a bleak and epic exploration of greed, morality and the lengths that people will go to for money. With brilliant photography and a classic and instantly recognisable theme by Ennio Morricone, this film is a must-see for all those with a love of cinema.

As the third and final film in Sergio Leone's "Dollars" trilogy, which includes A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad and the Ugly can be viewed completely separate to them, as the only connection between the three films is Clint Eastwood and his character, commonly known as "The Man With No Name".