After Django Unchained: 10 Must-See Westerns

2. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

good

Inevitable. Everyone's heard of it, most have watched it and anyone who doesn't love it is no friend of mine - seriously. Leone's concluding chapter to his "dollars" trilogy is without doubt one of the most critically regarded and culturally significant films of all time. Following three men's search for hidden treasure (one good, one bad and one ugly - go figure), The Good, The Bad & The Ugly is a sprawling Spaghetti Western that takes you through barren deserts, corrupt towns and mournful battlefields as they draw ever closer to the elusive bounty. The final shootout scene is cited by many, Tarantino included, as the finest sequence ever committed to celluloid, they might not be too far wrong either. Leone builds the tension with painstaking patience, clocking in a stand-off of around 20 minutes. It really isn't for the faint hearted, or the impatient for that matter. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly is an effortlessly cool, grindingly tense and unquestionably important film. It's absolutely essential viewing, much like The Godfather or Citizen Kane, it's just a bit weird if you haven't seen it, so watch it.
Contributor
Contributor

I'm a freelance film critic in my early twenties. I'm passionate about films, particularly cult cinema, horror and science fiction films. I graduated from Exeter University with an MA in Film Studies and have been writing film reviews/articles since early 2012. Find me on twitter @tobyneilsonfilm