The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (DVD, 1998, Holiday O-Ring Packaging)

Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and Tuco (Eli Wallach) are gunmen who admire each other professionally but dislike each other personally. Encountering a group of dying soldiers, Tuco learns the location of the graveyard where a Confederate treasure is buried, while Blondie learns the identity of the exact grave. Joined by mercenary drifter Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef), they cross the desert, each of the desperadoes knowing half the secret and each focusing his squinty eyes on the $200,000 bounty. In a classic that puts style above substance, Italian director Sergio Leone uses vivid Cinemascope imagery to depict a bleak and bloody American West in this final installment of his collaboration with Clint Eastwood in the Man with No Name Trilogy. A prototype for the so-called Spaghetti Western genre, the film solidified Eastwood's position as a major international star with his stoic, brooding presence. Cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli's stunning visuals are a match for the vivacious Ennio Morricone score, one of the most recognizable in all of cinema. Although the film was not released in the United States until 1967, it was produced and released internationally in 1966

While the Civil War rages between the Union and the Confederacy,
three men- a quiet loner played by Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Gran
Torino, Fistful of Dollars, A Few Dollars More, etc), a ruthless
hit man played by Lee Van Cleef (Escape from New York, The Octagon,
The Bravados, For a Few Dollars More, etc), and a Mexican bandit-
comb the American Southwest in search of a strongbox containing
200,000 in Confederate gold. In his third classic spaghetti Western
with Eastwood, director Sergio Leone (Duck You Sucker, Fistful of
Dollars, A Few Dollars More, etc)continued to shake up the western
movie clan with stylish photography and a hefty dose of cynicism by
Eastwood and Van Cleef. If you like the spaghetti westerns of the
60 s and early 1970s you will enjoy this one also. It is collectors
item for Clint Eastwood movie devotees as well as classic westerns
lovers. Will give you a full night of entertainment if you like this
type of movie.

It doesn't matter how many times you watch this great classic movie, it continues to grab you each and every time. We owned the VHS, now the DVD and whatever comes out next, we will purchase this movie again. Clint is his cool self...always an air of mystery to him...confident and complex. The music will always be in your head, like the sound in a Jaws movie when the attack was about to happen, there is no mistaking this soundtrack either. Eastwood and Wallach compliment each other beautifully..knowing when to bond together and when to move with caution. Lee Van Cleef plays his role perfectly...cold-hearted, hard and with one obvious objective. Eastwood and Wallach show compassion when it is called for. Having been a fan of Eastwood from his beginnings in Rawhide to the present...I truly appreciate the joy he has brought all of us throughout his career...no disappointments with him. As our men watch macho Clint, we women get to smile to ourselves over that striking man on the saddle. I even nicknamed my younger grandson "Blondie" after Clint's character in this movie. After all, if Clint Eastwood can be called "Blondie", then any male can.

A great movie starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach. Set in Civil War times, it tells a great tale of three characters after a bounty of $200,000. Considered one of the best movies of all time. A terrific movie for any person.

Masterpiece...Great cinematography, on locations, civil war re enactments, great historical perspective. The best of the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone with a young Eli Wallach, Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. It's my favorite in the Sergio group. I have seen them all, its long but great for a snowy cold day, light the fire, pour a glass of scotch, relax enjoy...snow blizzard here tomorrow on Long Island New York.