The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

(1966)

Directed by Sergio Leone

Starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef

Rating: ******
              5.4/6

In this epic film, The Man With No Name
Is playing a bit of a confidence game.
He’s selling his partner to the Law
To collect the bounty in his paw.

Then he breaks his friend out of jail
And runs so the law won’t be too hot on their trail.
Then they try again somewhere else,
To continue on till their luck runs out.

That is, until Clint decides one day
To sever their partnership and go his own way.
His partner isn’t too keen on this decision
And decides to follow him, full of derision.

Clint finds his way to a proper town,
Rents a room and settles down.
The first thing he does is dismantle his gun,
So he can clean all the pieces while there’s still sun.

All of a sudden, he hears the sound
Of killers approaching his small compound.
Can he get his act together
For long enough to put his gun together?

When he has emptied his pistol shots,
His former partner appears with shock,
For he is training his gun on him,
And is not super happy to see him.

He punishes Clint by making him walk
Through the hot desert, and continue to walk
Till they meet an old man who could be his own father.
This man asks him to bring some water.

The partner won’t do it till the new man says
That he’ll give him some gold for the water instead.
The Ugly goes to fetch the drink,
But the man expires, severing the link

Between the Ugly and the reward,
Meaning he probably won’t get the reward.
Then he notices that Clint is plenty awake,
And that he has learned the location of the gold-filled grave.

Somewhere in the midst of all this
Is a killer with a look as cold as a fish.
He’s destined soon to cross their paths.
Will Clint and the Ugly get out of his path?

This the grandest of the Spaghetti Westerns
starring Clint Eastwood.  An excellent Western,
It’s remembered fondly for its tone and its score,
And also the humour.  I give it a 5.4.