Ennio Morricone's 10 Greatest Film Soundtracks
7. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
This next one needs no introduction and may just be the greatest movie soundtrack ever created, let alone for the western genre.
Teaming up with Italian director Sergio Leone for the third and final entry in the Dollars trilogy, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is considered by many to be the best of the three films and easily the finest contribution to the spaghetti western sub-genre. However, the film wouldn't be so revered if it wasn't for Morricone's utterly exceptional soundtrack that provides the perfect backdrop to the action.
With the main theme resembling a howling coyote, the audience is immediately thrust into the danger of the Old West and further on, Ennio makes the three characters distinctive from each other with his set of original motifs. Clint Eastwood's Blondie uses a light flute, Angel Eyes is marked with a constructive ocarina and finally Tuco uses the chaotic sound of human voices.
The music just builds and builds into one of the most intense finales in movie history, with "The Ecstasy of Gold" flanking the final gun duel. It's a soundtrack so iconic and intense that Metallica would end up using it to open each of their live concerts, making it perhaps Morricone's most powerful work.