The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966)

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

This is the third in Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy. Most people consider this a prequel, and you kind of need if you want the 3 movies to be about the same exact guy, because in this movie is where Eastwood's character gets his characteristic poncho and shirt and vest. On with the review...

The Good:
First, and foremost, Eli Wallach is freaking amazing as Tuco (the Ugly). Tuco is by far the coolest character, the scoundrel you have to love.
This is quite a cowboy epic (though technically it takes place before what most people consider the "old west", it takes place in 1862 during the Civil War).
The cinematography is the best of the trilogy in this film.
The character development was great.
The music was definately classic in this one!

The Bad:
It is very confusing that Kinski is again in a film in this series but he is playing a completely different character.
Some of the ADR was bad.
It was long, very, very, long 2 hours and 41 minutes, at parts you could feel it.

The Ugly: It is not the best of the trilogy, but it is an awesome epic, worthy of its place in film history. I give it a mexican stand off and a 72 % Braveheart .

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

For a Few Dollars More

This is the second in the Sergio Leone "Man With No Name" trilogy. I was excited to see where Leone would take the character next, although according to what I read after-the-fact, Leone never intended the character to be viewed as the exact same person... kind of strange, but I can dig it... anyway...

The Good:
The story in this film pulls you in almost immediately. What happens when 2 bad asses find they are both on the trail of the same insane outlaw?
Eastwood and Kinski are so absolutely perfect in their roles in the movie.
The film contains humor and heart and great tension.
Again, the music was cool.
The cinematography was incredible, long shots contrasting with extreme close ups, so well done.

The Bad:
The ADR again was bad in some parts.
...um...there are some anachronisms in the film that are minor, but there...

Overall: I give this one a lit cigar, a poncho and a 84 % Braveheart .

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

A Fistful of Dollars

I decided to take a break from my normal horror and scifi watching. Instead I decided I needed to brush up on my westerns. So where better to start than with a film that changed the genre, though to be fair, this is a "remake" of Kurosawa's Yojimbo.

The Good:
The character of "the man with no name" was truly created in this film. The essence of this character influenced films from this point on. The lonesome outsider who says very little and has his own sense of justice, you know him, whether it's from other westerns or cop dramas or Vampire Hunter D.
Clint Eastwood is great in the role.
It is a neat story about a town tormented by rival gangs, with a couple of interesting subplots thrown in.
The barkeep is an interesting character, fun and honorable.
I loved the coffin maker, he's a great dark comic relief character.
The music was cool, what I consider "real western music".

The Bad:
The ADR was terrible (that would be the "dubbing").
Sometimes the story kind of skipped, I'm not sure how to explain this, but I kept wondering, "Wait, how did that happen?" It just seemed not to explain certain parts of what happened in the story.
Some of the acting was not-so-good.

Overall: I give this one a Clint Eastwood squint, a guarded smile and 65 % Braveheart (please try to not take into account Mel Gibson is a horrible anti-Semitic dumbass).