This is one of the most impeccably directed movies ever made. It's an older film, and it's still considered the best western movie ever made by a lot of critics. Every shot in the movie seems to have a purpose, even the ones that seem to drag on. They do drag on, but it's all to make the movie appear that much more epic. Even in the first scene, three rough and tough cowboys, slowly approach a house, taking several minutes, only to be gunned down in several seconds. That's what this movie is all about. Slow, steady build up that lead to a spectacular show of force. It's an engrossing movie, with detailed locales and gritty closeups. It's everything the Western movie needs to be, and then so much more.
There are three main characters. The First is Tuco (The Ugly, Eli Wallach). He's a thief that just happens to be in the right place at the right time for most of the story. The second is Angel Eyes (The Bad, Lee Van Cleef). He's a hired killer who always gets the job done when he's payed. He's on the trail of a soldier named Bill Carson, who knows the location of a cashbox with a large sum. The last, though certainly not least, is Blondie (The Good, Clint Eastwood). After going into a scam with Tuco and double-crossing him, Tuco leads him into the desert to die. But a carriage carrying dead Confederate soldiers passes by, and one not quite dead reveals to him the cemetery where the cashbox is buried. But he doesn't tell him the name on the grave, since Tuco runs off to get him water. Instead, he tells Blondie, at which point Tuco needs to keep him alive. The three of them are all after the same cashbox.
It's not a very complicated story, although it is a very good one. For such an unforgivingly violent film, it uses the Civil War to convey a sort of anti-war theme. As Blondie observes, "I've never seen so many good men wasted." The locales are nothing short of stunning, from a huge desert, to rolling hills, dusty towns, and of course the now famous cemetery where the showdown takes place. It brings the western to life, and even propels it into an almost mythical status. Leone had a knack for taking shots of wide open landscapes and turning it into a closeup of someone's face. These shots convey more emotion that any of the actors would ever be able to display. There isn't a lot of talking, since most of the film is mostly dubbed. With the exception of some of the restored scenes, you would never know this. But when there is talking, you can bet it's important, or funny. Tuco doesn't just ramble on for no reason, so pay attention.
The music is very well, with one of the best scores ever put on the big screen. Sometimes, it's a quite, reflective tune, other times, it's a somber drum beat. And of course, the best is saved for last with blaring trumpets and everything that makes a spaghetti western what it is. The coyote howl is the prevalent theme of the movie, and it fits very well. It's also the tune that most Leone films are remembered for, whether it was this movie or not.
The showdown is easily one of the greatest scenes ever put on camera. The score builds and builds, as does the directing, as the characters seem to move impossibly slow. It is this scene where Leone's genius becomes so obvious if you haven't seen it yet. The camera loops shots of the mens eyes and gunbelts while the music swells into a frenzy just before delivering the final resolution. It does build an incredible tension that few films can match, although I wouldn't be surprised if Leone did all of that just because he thought it looked cool. The conclusion is what the western is all about, three men standing apart, hands over their guns, all wanting the gold. If someone were to tell me that this was the best western movie ever made, I certainly would not argue.