There's a meandering nature about "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" that keeps me from enjoying it as highly as I think I should. It's certainly not as tight as "For a Few Dollars More", and it really tends to drag during the desert torture and the army scenes (which pop up with surprising frequency). Even the final shootout was too much; I just wanted Leone to get on with it. It's "epic" scope just seems to topple in on itself.
That said, there's much to like here, and the built-up acclaim over the years is certainly merited. For one, the framing and composition in this film are amazing. Not sure I've seen such effective use of widescreen in another western. Leone knows how to make the western landscapes eye- catching. Each of the film's stars fits his character well (Wallach, especially, who just seems to relish Tuco's streetrat sense of guile). And it's just one double-cross after another, right up until the very end. It's fun from that standpoint. Just overinflated.
7/10
That said, there's much to like here, and the built-up acclaim over the years is certainly merited. For one, the framing and composition in this film are amazing. Not sure I've seen such effective use of widescreen in another western. Leone knows how to make the western landscapes eye- catching. Each of the film's stars fits his character well (Wallach, especially, who just seems to relish Tuco's streetrat sense of guile). And it's just one double-cross after another, right up until the very end. It's fun from that standpoint. Just overinflated.
7/10