The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The epic concluding part of Sergio Leone/ Ennio Morricone/ Clint Eastwood's 'Dollars' Trilogy, it is surely the grandest, the sparsest, and the most weighty of the three films. It shows quite a continuity between the earlier films and the later, even more operatic, even slower, 'Once Upon A Time In The West'.
This is obviously a classic film, it doesn't mess around worrying about anything as it knows it simply works. The scenes are sharp despite their dwelling-slowness, every individual element is exciting and a story in itself. We watched the extended version, and it would probably be better to cut a couple of scenes; all around though, the hundreds of tangents and side-elements make up the enviroment, the atmosphere. The re-dubbing of 'lost' scenes is also a little clunky.
Morricone's music actually wasn't our favourite here; the central riff is great, if rather hysterical, and beside that isn't (for us) hugely memorable. The way that it is shot though is perhaps the finest. The horses going across the desert and the destruction-civil-war backdrops show Leone growing in ambition and power.
A far as characterisation, we have Clint being the great Clint, showing a little more humanity which is rather necessary for such a long and multi layered film as this. Lee Van Cleef, who doesn't appear to be playing the same character, is strong and difficult (in the good way), though does dissapear for long periods. Eli Wallach's Tuco is the great new addition; a nice bit of ambiguity, rather fun, and fits in nicely.
The curious thing about the 'Dollars' films are the balance struck between the deliberately cold, nasty, harsh characters, and the slightly self-knowing twinkle and wink in Eastwood's eye. Are these films serious? The answer is yes and no. These films are fine watches, gloriously entertaining and often cool. They are though uncertain, playful movies in many ways though.
And of course there are the final scenes, the circle of guns, and all the iconic moments. A must for any serious film fan to see.