Runtime:
180 minutes
Directed
by: Sergio Leone
Starring:
Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffre, Luigi
Pistilli
From:
Several companies from several countries
It was about time I saw this legendary movie again, and my opinion on its quality is little-changed:
With this review I have now talked about
and rated 1,500 films (most feature films, and some shorts) on
Letterboxd. Mutual Bryan Nguyen noted recently this milestone was coming
up, and I'll give him a shoutout here for that reason. This is a film I
saw long ago (I mean, many years before I joined Letterboxd) and I was
hoping I would still find it legendary viewing it with 2018 eyes;
reviewing a classic for a milestone seemed wholly appropriate.
Thankfully, I still think this is magnificent.
This is an epic story concerning three different characters all looking for a container that holds a LOT of gold; all three are distinct characters... “Blondie” (as he's usually referred to here) is technically the hero, Angel Eyes is a ruthless killer who is all about profit, and Tuco is a loudmouth bandit full of charisma who has done plenty of heinous things. None of these three are virtuous and as there are long stretches where it's only two of the three interacting with each other... they are happy to double-cross each other and temporarily use someone only for the purpose of getting closer to the gold. The setting is early 1860's New Mexico and the American Civil War is a key aspect to the plot; besides the fact that the gold belongs to the Confederates, the trio often get mixed up with both sides of the war.
I know there has been debate as to whether the 161 minute cut that played in the United States upon release or the 179 minute version that was restored and released about a decade ago is preferable; while the transfer has been debated (and from what I understand, all the Blu releases of the film apparently haven't gotten the look of the movie quite right) I am glad Kino Lorber's 2017 release has both versions in HD for the sake of nerds like us. I saw the three hour cut-the disc I played was an older MGM release of The Man with No Name trilogy-and personally that version is great as the added material doesn't ruin the pacing or seem pointless for the story.
Besides it being an epic that is always enthralling and the story being filled with interesting characters and the trio is incredible in their own ways, the way that Leone directed this... astounding. The long takes & shots are beautiful to look at, and there are plenty of close-ups; it's not just the iconic finale where the extreme zoom to a person's face filling the screen is used to perfection. And who can forget the Morricone score? The title song especially is instantly recognizable by millions even half a century later and it does plenty to help set the mood.
I also have to note that the trio is so great because of the characters they are and the performances by the screen titans who brought them to life. It is one of the best performances from Eastwood and the best from both Van Cleef and Wallach; Tuco is pretty amazing even has an especially ugly human being and I couldn't imagine another actor making them so charismatic and full of life. That was why I was saddened when Eli Wallach passed away a few years ago.
While I do understand the Spaghetti variety of Western may not be the favorite for Western fans, it is still a must for all film fans in general as the genre seldom rarely matched this, let alone topped it.
This is an epic story concerning three different characters all looking for a container that holds a LOT of gold; all three are distinct characters... “Blondie” (as he's usually referred to here) is technically the hero, Angel Eyes is a ruthless killer who is all about profit, and Tuco is a loudmouth bandit full of charisma who has done plenty of heinous things. None of these three are virtuous and as there are long stretches where it's only two of the three interacting with each other... they are happy to double-cross each other and temporarily use someone only for the purpose of getting closer to the gold. The setting is early 1860's New Mexico and the American Civil War is a key aspect to the plot; besides the fact that the gold belongs to the Confederates, the trio often get mixed up with both sides of the war.
I know there has been debate as to whether the 161 minute cut that played in the United States upon release or the 179 minute version that was restored and released about a decade ago is preferable; while the transfer has been debated (and from what I understand, all the Blu releases of the film apparently haven't gotten the look of the movie quite right) I am glad Kino Lorber's 2017 release has both versions in HD for the sake of nerds like us. I saw the three hour cut-the disc I played was an older MGM release of The Man with No Name trilogy-and personally that version is great as the added material doesn't ruin the pacing or seem pointless for the story.
Besides it being an epic that is always enthralling and the story being filled with interesting characters and the trio is incredible in their own ways, the way that Leone directed this... astounding. The long takes & shots are beautiful to look at, and there are plenty of close-ups; it's not just the iconic finale where the extreme zoom to a person's face filling the screen is used to perfection. And who can forget the Morricone score? The title song especially is instantly recognizable by millions even half a century later and it does plenty to help set the mood.
I also have to note that the trio is so great because of the characters they are and the performances by the screen titans who brought them to life. It is one of the best performances from Eastwood and the best from both Van Cleef and Wallach; Tuco is pretty amazing even has an especially ugly human being and I couldn't imagine another actor making them so charismatic and full of life. That was why I was saddened when Eli Wallach passed away a few years ago.
While I do understand the Spaghetti variety of Western may not be the favorite for Western fans, it is still a must for all film fans in general as the genre seldom rarely matched this, let alone topped it.
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