Sergio Leone
Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo

Cast:

Rada Rassimov
Clint Eastwood
Aldo Giuffré
Eli Wallach
Luigi Pistilli
Lee Van Cleef
Mario Brega

Credits:

Direction: Sergio Leone
Music: Ennio Morricone

Year: 1966
Country: Italy
Duration: 176'

Not many are fans of the western genre, but undoubtedly, this film represents the quintessence of the genre itself. Spaghetti-western, an Italian production, with a Sergio Leone at his historical best and, as the lead, instead of a duo (as in the previous "A Fistful of Dollars" and "For a Few Dollars More"), we have a trio. A legendary trio, formed by the never sufficiently praised Clint Eastwood "The Blonde" (The Good), by Eli Wallach "Tuco" (The Ugly), and by a great Lee Van Cleef "Sentenza" (The Bad), a ruthless and unscrupulous killer, who passed away in Oxnard, on December 16, 1989.

In short, the film sees the stories of three gunslingers intertwine, bound by a common goal: the hunt for a missing load of gold. But not everything is as easy as it seems. The Ugly knows the place where the loot is buried (specifically, it's a cemetery), while the Good knows the name of the grave to search within. The information is given to the duo, first in partnership, later dissolved due to the Blonde, by a certain Bill Carson sought by Sentenza, now on his deathbed. While Tuco leaves to bring water to the dying man, the Blonde obtains the crucial information. Now, the two, former partners, then bitter enemies, and now partners by necessity, are forced to collaborate. Tuco accompanies the Blonde (at death's door) to a friar's convent, among whom is also his brother (and certainly not for the love of friendship). The Blonde is healed and the two leave the convent. Memorable is Tuco's exclamation at the news of his companion's "tough hide" "… Long live Jesus! Long live Saint Francis!!".

The hunt for the buried gold resumes, not without too many difficulties. We are in the midst of the civil war, at the center of which there is a terrible clash between the Northerners and the Southerners. The duo, while traveling, is captured by Union soldiers (another anthologized scene! Tuco, from a distance, sees a group of soldiers approaching and says to his companion: "…. Those are Confederate soldiers! They have gray uniforms!." But the "gray" of the uniforms is due to the fact that they ….. are dirty with dust!). Unfortunately for the two, among the Union army, Sentenza has enlisted (who has followed the tracks of Bill Carson). Sentenza will brutally torture Tuco to extort the name of the cemetery from him. But the rest: "….. the Blonde knows it ….”. The duo becomes a trio. A trio distrustful of each other. Not a trace of friendship, not a sign of trustworthiness. Only distrust, hatred, and a great deal, but a great deal of desire to kill.

The final scene, memorable, sees Tuco running in the cemetery, desperately searching for the grave! Once found, he begins to dig like a madman. The Blonde arrives, pointing a gun at Tuco, and orders him to dig with a shovel "… it's better to dig this way. And it's faster….". Then Sentenza arrives, also armed with a revolver. He orders the two to dig because: "… you finish even faster with two….". But the Blonde reveals to the two that this is not the real grave where the gold is hidden. The real name he writes on a stone. The only one who can lay claim to the treasure will be the one who manages to read the name on the cursed stone. And here we reach the final challenge: a three-way duel, each watching the other's gaze. Each ready to fire. Each with the fear upon them, because they do not know who will shoot whom first.

The Good comes out victorious (also thanks to the fact that before giving the gun to Tuco, he had already unloaded it …..!!!). Once he has the treasure, he shares it with Tuco who, however, must endure the last final humiliation: he will have to remain hanging from a rope, with a noose around his neck, teetering on the cross of the grave. "…. Biondooo!!!!!”, Tuco screams. But every scream of his, only tightens the noose more around his neck. When it seems like everything is over, from a distance, the Good aims his rifle and shoots the rope, freeing Tuco from that atrocious torture.

The final phrase is left to a Tuco, practically, furious: “…. Hey Blondie …. Do you know whose son you are? You are the son of a great big WHORE!”. The last adjective is accompanied by one of the classic soundtracks of Ennio Morricone, a magnificent composer who, with his scores, manages to bring a very personal and particular charm to this timeless western cinema classic.

Memorable.