5 minutes of three men standing in the middle of a graveyard, doing nothing but staring at each other. And it's the most gods-be-damned epic thing I've ever seen in my life.
Interesting Fact: The skeleton found by Tuco inside the wrong coffin at Sad Hill Cemetery, was a real human skeleton. A deceased Spanish actress who wrote in her will she wanted to act even after her death. Edit: Rip Ennio Morricone 1928-2020 Thank you for creating some of the greatest soundtracks in history.
The only way I would accept it is if Clint Eastwood himself directed it. But I think it's perfect the way it is. I agree. No remake needed. 'Nuff said.
@@fingolfirn8189 SJW is a boogey man term meant to lump all opposition to right wingers in one simple group. Drop the political bullshit and enjoy a wonderful movie.
Oh yeah, You've seen it a dozen times, you know exactly how it ends, and you don't want to miss a second of it because the music, the camera work, the acting all come together in one mini master piece. Brilliant is the right word.
Blonde... Clint's character is referred to as Blonde in this film, but he largely has no real name. The 3 movies of this are sardonically called "The Man With No Name" Trilogy. However, if you pay careful attention he does in fact have a name.
Three dudes looking at each other is a hundred times more exciting than endless cgi, explosions, quips, greenscreen, special effects and bullshit from the modern day. That's pure CRAFT. Cinematography. Screenwriting. Acting. MUSIC. Direction.
I've watched this movie several times, and i just now noticed that Clint had positioned himself so the sun was at his back, and in the other guys eyes. good strategy!!
It´s Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) that has the sun on his back, which is the best position, as per his shadow on the ground. Blondie (Clint Eastwood) actually positions himself in a worse spot, because he has to somewhat look at the sun. But since they took several takes to film this, the sun moves and so do the shadows on their faces. But at the start, the moment they move to position, look at the shadow at 3:15 , it is Angel Eyes that moves to the prime spot. Not that it did much good anyway. Tuco has it the worst. He has to face directly at the sun, face against 2 master gunslingers, and he has no fucking bullets!
Never noticed, but his eyes always looked like that dint they? Play Misty for Me, he was always narrowed eyed, no wonder, fab film, she was in Columbo today
Best part for me, during the standoff, Clint looks away from Lee to Eli and gives the slightest of nods, camera goes straight back to Lee who then nervously looks at Eli. Seen this masterpiece 30 odd times in my lifetime, always imagine in that moment Lee thinking "shit, wait a minute do these fucks have some sort of plan" Because what starts off as a free for all, may have just became two on one, and as good as Lee thinks he is, he aint.
The most important detail of this scene is who Tuco tried to shoot. Meaning that even as much as he hated Blondie, he still trusted him more than Angel Eyes.
All these years later and I still never get enough of this classic of the classics. Grew up on this film from the age of five when my dad took me with him to see it when it first hit the theaters. I've watched it least once a year for most of my adult life. IMO, Ennio Morricone's iconic soundtrack is just as an important character as Eastwood, Wallach, and Van Cleef. Never gets old, only better.
The one movie that should never ever be remade or tampered with. If they did remake it, they would choose the wrong actors for the wrong parts and would mess up the film. One of the great cinematic accomplishments of all time.
Im a hollywood producer, i think a sequel would be terrific! I can picture it, Daniel Radcliff as Tuco, A very confused Mark Wallberg as angel eyes and every one else can be played by the band members of One Direction. Ill throw in some explosions, the noise of a passenger ship's horn and some shitty puns! Now I just need a director who always delivers when it comes to sticking with the original content and pleasing fans,"Micheal Bay where are you?!"
@@Dressyone223 well... Walt already made that whole bag of blue and they admitted that they tried to poison Tuco so they all were on the bad side in the first place 🤔
bridgecross We can also notice that Angel Eyes had the worst position being between both and had to slide his eyes through left and right while the two others just had to watch forward...
I saw this movie and once upon a time in the west when I was 13. I'm now 18 and until this day I've watched them every year. I just can't get enough of the acting and the musical masterpieces of ennio morricono
Nobody: Will it fit in my Honda? Hold my beer Am I a joke to you? Asking for a friend Everybody gangsta End this man’s whole career He protecc, he attacc … Sexual/genitalia innuendo/big balls Scatological/potty joke Question of quantity answered yes Plot twist Left/entered the chat Gaming reference Dislikes are from I’m a simple man Not gonna lie No one gonna talk about Last time I was this early First Legend has it That’ll buff right out Fun fact (X) be like (X) intensifies (X) wants to know your location Ha ha (X) go brrrrr POV: (X) (X): Also (X): Imagine (X) Her: I'm home alone It’s complicated YT algorithm counting down years Who’s watching in current year? You Tube recommendations It’s free real estate So you've chosen death? Understandable, have a great day Punch line below read more
Eli didn't die he was being tricked by Clint when he rode away with his horse and then came back with Eli smiling because he knew he would come back and then he shot the rope and left him there, there is a Possible chance that he is dead or that he found a edge on the grave to scrape against the robe tied on his hands
@@canoebelue he looks pretty good for 91. Staying fit and avoiding smoking/drinking outside of film roles is probably the reason he’s made it this far without becoming so frail and dying of natural causes. He’s lucky to have avoided dementia and other diseases, but his health management has still played a factor in keeping this living legend with us and still acting/directing in 2021.
Arguably, one of the greatest films ever made, authentic, characters full of depth, amazing locations, unbelievable soundtrack and that ending, just blows your mind.
Totally agree. It's not just a 'spaghetti western' it's a freaking work of art. When the union soldier smacks the dust off his uniform, so many scenes that are memorable
I just noticed. When they finally draw. 6:41 Tuco goes straight for Angel Eyes. He never wanted to kill blondie. And that’s why blondie let’s him live in the end.
@@edwardgaines6561 Because he was a good gunslinger, But they all were if he was lucky he could have turned the gun around quickly and kill the other one.
Not only that, but because Tuco draws the gun he knows that Angel Eyes drew it too. Also this is my opinion but I noticed something interesting. Most of the time during duels villains have their guns resting near stomach while hero has it at his side. It makes me wonder if this is also the reason heroes keep winning.
@@Ston247 he didn’t have to steal it. He was the main character. The protagonist. The script was written around Tuco. Wallach’s performance was outstanding
You see this iconic scene a hundred times yet it never gets old. Even though you know how it will end,still watch every move,expression & wait for the punch line ending. Masterpiece
@@iamnotinvolved1309 Reviewers at the time labeled this film as a horribly boring; stupid movie and dubbed it a "spaghetti western" as a slur to the director, who was Italian. It was called that for the time as westerns back then were more about shiny clean shaven good guys with snarky oneliners defeating the dumb arrogant villains with their fancy expensive guns and go back to their families and loved ones. Hollywood didn't take too kindly that someone of foreign descent beat them at their own films as it was filled with a bunch of old racists those days.
The most beautiful western cinema scene ever shot, with 3 fabulous actors Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef .... Thank you Mr. Sergio Leone for making this film and thank you for this incredible music Mr. Ennio Morricone
I've watched and seen many "westerns" in my 53 years of life. I saw this as a little boy, as a teen, young man and into my adulthood. I still think this is the best western film ever!
EVER - and I've damn near seen them all (I think - except for a few of the most modern ones) thanks to my dad. The Magnificent Seven is a close second in my book. I know it's a redo of the Seven Samurai - also a great film - and I'm standing by it. Another great collection of class actors in a great movie with a with a great theme song.
This western film only comes close second to ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST; made also by Leone and Morricone, and which is the BEST ever. Although this is my favourite western.
They are good , but got to say John Williams paired either with Spielberg or Lucas were good too, it is a toss up there. Don't think Nolan/Zimmer get to the level of "The G,B, and the U" , or Jaws or Star Wars in "epic" themes.
Yes Ennio is the greatest in his league.. John Williams, Hans Zimmer are playing in different leagues... Just talk to my beautiful musicians in my orchestra. They vote for Ennio Morricone as the best composer conductor of Italian western music ever. He should have received his Grammy.
I think the separator is: That, of the three, for a jawdropping epic, Tarantino goes with Ennio, _specifically because_ he's recognizable in his style, from all the westerns he's done (and, Quentin is an awesome director/writer). John does "theme",or "hook" music (whatever you'd call it) really, really well. So he gets all the tunes that pop instantly into mind, like Jaws and Star Wars to the Olympics and Sunday Night Football. Hans has done nothing but good movies, but his career is young, relative to the other two ('94 with The Lion King). But his movies (Gladiator, Inception, PotC, Dark Knight, and more) all have awesome music. Morricone, Williams, Zimmer. This is the great, musical pantheon for the epic movie genre.
I have grown up watching this film, from a young age with my now deceased father, through the years with friends, family and alone. The length of this film, and how you sink into it, it almost feels like reality. Sergio Leone was a true artist and you can feel the passion of this man in this film. This is my all time number 1 film.
Nowadays they would never make a movie where they do nothing but stare at each other for 2 and a half minutes straight. They don't make westerns like this anymore. It's a lost art.
@@Ronnie-Jones Don't you mean the most retarded documentary in history? I support their right to express their opinions, but I reserve the right to call them mental retards.
This movie has so many elements: buried treasure, drama, action, one liners, an unforgettable score... it's a western, a war movie, a revenge movie, and a buddy movie, all culminating in a legendary Mexican standoff. One of the best films ever. PS. Notice how Clint's hand is relaxed, cool as ice. He knows he only has to worry about one man. The other two know if they draw they will likely get killed by the 3rd man. So so brilliant.
MrLeonVWF Clint Eastwood’s Blondie was The Good and was the anti hero, Eli Wallach was a bad guy but with some good traits was known as The Ugly while Lee Van Cleef was the villain Angel Eyes and known as The Bad a psychopathic bounty hunter.
Whether or not Tuco is truly a bad guy depends entirely on whether or not you believe that long list of crimes of which he's accused during his many hangings, which includes multiple counts of grand larceny, rape, and murder. Tuco is a selfish, greedy character with no loyalty to anyone but himself, so even if we conclude that he's not a "bad" guy, we can at least agree that he's not a "good" guy. He sacrifices three of his companions to get the drop on Anonymous, for example.
I first saw this in 67 when I was 12, and damn well loved it. Me and my buddies Bill, Bryan and Ray, my brother Dave and my cousin Dave. On the way home afterward we continuously formed circles and pretended we had guns while we tried to recreate the showdown music. 3 of those beloved are no longer with us but they all remained TGTBaTU fans for life. At 66, I am still watching and loving it lol.
Frank, I am also 66 and remember watching this with my best friend and their dad. I wore a poncho a lot after that and too still love these movies. Oh, 1 of my friends is no longer with us too..
This stand off feels so organic. Many stand offs have this artificial tension where nothing keeps either side from unloading, but here it plays out perfectly. Whoever shoots first, dies second, so everyone is waiting for another to draw first in the hope of shooting both. However, the game's rigged from the start, because not only is Tuco's gun empty, even if Angel Eyes can kill Blondie, he'll never see a cent of gold.
Indeed. Heck, I'd even argue the place Blondie picked to stand in the circle was the most strategic too. It's as if he knew Angel Eyes was going to pick the spot between him and Tuco, making it easier to kill him once he drew, but that's only a guess at best I admit.
@@digital_gravity True, but I doubt he'd want to go to all that trouble. I think he'd sooner get Blondie to tell him the right location first before resorting to that. Knowing Blondie though, he'd take that secret to his death should he have lost the duel.
Not necessarily so. Just cause B shoots C doesn't mean A shoots B. The said 1st shooter could be fast enough to get both the others. Especially if you had been paying attention to the last 2 movies in this series.
even if you could manage two kill shots before being targeted, would you risk it? Blondie clearly doesn't play on chance or skill when he can play on smarts. Even though Tuco aimed for Angel-Eyes, he'd still be a risk if allowed to shoot freely, diverting his attention. Emptying the gun gives Blondie the edge, not in numbers, but in that he can focus single-mindedly on outdrawing Angel-Eyes. Not saying he can't outdraw them both, but he's being clever rather than daring. Also, from a narrative POV, it's more satisfying to see him win with guile and trickery rather than just raw skill. It's kinda like good fights in anime. Every fight has a "question" which needs to be answered. Bad fights will ask "Am I the strongest of the two?" while good fights will have more compelling questions (there's an early 'conflict' in Naruto where the 'fight' is a written exam, and the tension is honestly amazing) and will often feature alternative goals other than just beat the bad guys (MHA has a tournament in which the MC loses in the quarter finals, but 'wins' by helping resolve emotional issues in his opponent). Yeah, sure, Blondie could outdraw both, but he'd just look normally badass; now he looks like a magnificant badass, outthinking and outdrawing his enemies.
They showed this in the theater a couple of years ago and when Angel Eyes threw the shovel the only sound in the theater was a faint “What the fuck” from the back
Or it's just a whole bunch of no life sweats with weird clothing on and attack on sight. I wish I could have duels with people and do crime but nope can't do that
The best Western ever iin my opinion, 3 hours of quality and fantastic music plus 3 epic actors . If they made a film about shopping in tesco,s these 3 would nail it ,RIP Eli and LEE .
Visited the West Coast some yrs ago, and got a parking ticket in Carmel when he was the mayor!! I can see him at his desk, with that cigar in his mouth, laughing at me!!🎥
I think it's only as time goes on, people begin to appreciate just what an immense acting talent and presence Lee Van Cleef was on the silver screen. A pity he's not around to see his just recognition.
It’s a lost art of building up characters and tension to just a couple of amazing moments. Most movies pack a lot of action and cool moments, so watching these movies seem like they’re slow to people. It’s a damn shame.
Damn straight. Lost track of the amount of times I've stumbled across the film on one of the satellite channels and I've said "I'll just watch a bit" and end up watching the whole film, an absolute classic.
The best movie climax in history. The eyes, the staring, the dialog, the guitar, the trumpet, the piano, the chimes. Long periods of silence. No bonehead wisecracks. No over-talking the scene. A masterpiece of cinema.
One of the artistic touches was at 4:24: The musical reference to the standoff in "For a Few Dollars More" when the watch chimes play. Brings a tear to my eye every time.
the tension and sequential strumming in the guitar's soundtrack is amazing, with build up of the other instruments makes for a fourth character in this scene and many of Morricone's soundtracks
Man, Blondie was so many moves ahead. Unloading the gun, anticipating The bounty hunter thus selecting the wrong grave, and to add insult to injury, no name under the stone; they would have gotten nothing from him even if they ended his life. That's some serious gaming skills.
Except one lil problem, did anyone else notice those revolvers are percussion models, not cartridge models, so unloading them is very difficult as once you squeeze the bullets in, there is no way to unload the revolver in the field without tools, short of replacing the loaded cylinder with an unloaded cylinder
@@carminemurray6624 Or offering to reload Tuco's pistol for him after they were in the river and only placing the caps on. Tuco is good with a gun but lacking when it comes to long term planning.
@@carminemurray6624 IMDB trivia: The following guns were used in this movie. 2. Tuco (Eli Wallach) used a Colt 1851 Navy cartridge conversion revolver with a lanyard.
Simeon Jaganyi American critics at that time looked down on this new wave of western movies, like cheap knock off of the great American western tradition. The term "spaghetti western" had actually a derogatory meaning, at the beginning...they couldn't bear the burn...
I'm with you on that because there's no one that can play Clint's part except for Clint another remake that should never been made was Ben-Hur the original with Charlton Heston was the best
To be honest I don't think anyone today can fill the shoes of these 3 guys in a remake. Actors these days can't pull out "the western bad ass stand off stare" like these guys did.
I think it's a glowing testament to the cinematography, score and acting that, even after 50 years of homage and parody (Of both the soundtrack and the "Tight closups on the eyes leading into the old west gunfight"), this scene still stands up as one of the tensest standoffs in cinema history without a hint of age or narm.
The soundtrack and how it fits the scene, is ridiculously, unbelievably, astonishingly good. How they didn't give it an Oscar? It's more than Oscar-worthy.
@Avais Butt Gabriel is right, these were called "spaghetti" westerns and the US critics hated them. For them, the only good westerns were the ones made by "true" Americans (like the ones that John Wayne leads). Spaghetti Westerns back at 1960s were just like today's superhero movies lol.
@@odenat3701 unfortunately you are right and honestly John Wayne movies are shit as fuck. they are so forgettable and illogical as fuck. americans should have ashamed of jw movies
@@kainkabil6393 well they needed easilly recognizable good guys, bad guys and happy endings. even the firts movie about janosik had to be done with 2 endings . one the real ending when got hang, and a happy ending for the us only.
yeah actually you said it, it's more than oscar-worthly. Coz you know what? Oscar don't have this importance since the real beauty of masterpieces like this western aren't in the elites' hands of some producers or critics... It is in our hands, in the public's hands, to not let this masterpiece die by forgetting about it. if we remember how great was theses movies, then theirs producers and all theirs teams would be gratified by the most worthly oscar ever : the love of the public.
A little out there thought, but, I wonder if reincarnation is real. I hope to come back in my next life and re-experience the joy of watching this movie.
Yes, that's exactly how this scenario was conceived in Sergio Leone's mind. The shape of this cemetery is pretty similar to those of ancient greek theatres so common in Italy and in all the mediterranean countries. Check them out.
When I was a kid, I didn't really like this scene. I just thought, What kind of gunfight is this? One shot and boom, that's it. But now, older and wiser, I realize that the actual fight is before the bullets start flying, how each of them size each other up and consider when to go for the gun, and who to shoot at, the thinking of each man, and I love it. Interesting to think that a scene with three guys just standing there can be more intense and exciting than even the biggest CGI light show Hollywood can puke out these days. And for me, the icing on the cake is that it's brains, not brawn, that win the day.
When you look really closely into it, Blondie had it won from the very beginning. The other two needed him alive because they couldn't trust him to write the right name or any name at all on the stone, and the other two had a particularly bad relationship; regardless of if Tucco had bullets, Blondie would not have been the first to get shot. Then when they're staring off, Angel Eyes is in the worst position having to look back and forth; he has to be worried of if he shoots Tucco, who will shoot him first, Blondie would just shoot him. So Blondie, to trick Angel Eyes, looks at Tucco as if he'll shoot him first. This gives Angel Eyes the peace of mind to focus on Tucco. And when he draws his gun, Tucco reacts, and without looking Blondie is ready to draw and shoot at Angel Eyes. It was a powerful mental game that Blondie won through having all the information and knowing Tucco so well. If someone could make a movie like this nowadays it would not be as good, but it would be better than the other crap.
@@petersenior5432 I just watched it again in slow motion and you are right. Blondie was watching Tuco and reacted on his reaction only. Was still faster than Angel Eyes which is no small feat. I keep wondering how would this duel end up if all 3 had bullets and Blindie having to watch them both with the same amount of attention. Tuco would probably still try to shoot Angel Eyes first but I wonder if they would stop at that or would Tuco shoot Blondie too. We will never know. Still, that just shows that Blondie was not some kind of god. He was good but he had a great advantage and it wouldn't be so easy for him if not for Tuco having no bullets in the gun as all three were good shots, especially Tuco.
@@Hassony523 notice VERY CLOSELY blondie tells tuco using eye contact to go for the bad, and when tuco looks at the bad and instantly at good. He VERY SLIGHTLY nods his head. They both went for the bad
Everything that was put together in this motion picture movie was excellent Clint Eastwood excellent actor excellent performances and everything the Best Westerns of the 1960s that I have ever experienced in my life Clint Eastwood made that all happen very excellent excellent❤❤❤❤❤❤
Blondie: "If you shoot me, you won't see a cent of that money." Angel Eyes: "Why?" Blondie: "I'll tell you why." *Kicks open the coffin, revealing a corpse and nothing else.* "Because there's nothing in there." He literally owns them at this point and has all the power. Such a badass, I love this part.
I'm a fan of the Trilogy since when I was 6 years old thanks to my father that had all the videotapes of all the three movies. And I was born in 1994, by the way, this three masterpieces well never ever bored me.
One of the greatest piece of cinema ...yet not a single Oscar. But in my mind it won everything. Best Picture Best Director Best Cinematography Best Musical Score ...and hell, give Eli Wallach an Oscar for Tuco in best supporting actor.
More than 50 years when this came out and it's still the greatest scene from the history of movies and from my point it will continue to be the greatest of all.There's no equal for that.And the movie,masterpiece.
Ever notice how Blondie tricks Angel Eyes into focusing on Tuco? Watch the eye lines. Angel Eyes is initially only interested in Blondie and just looks right at him, he's not worried about Tuco. Blondie knows Tuco's gun is unloaded but he stares right at him anyway, disregarding Angel Eyes. That makes Angel Eyes second guess, shifting his focus away from Blondie, making him uncertain who is the greater threat. That gives Blondie the chance to shoot Angel Eyes. What a masterful scene.
Blondie played the arrogant psychopath Angel Eyes perfectly. He then went on to square off on the less-than-bright but certainly more lovable bundle-of-wayward-urges Tuco.
@DR Evil yeah i might be wrong but at 5:57 Blondie gave a slight nod while looking at Tuco. Angel Eyes realized he dun fucked up when he gave up the element of surprise and agreed to duel with these two
And I think the final scene with Tuco with the rope around his neck and Blondie shooting it from long distance is just as powerful. "Hey Blondie, you know what you are, just a dirty....." He's right, Blondie is a dirty sob. LOL!
I can watch this final grand standoff scene over 1000 times & Massively Love it -- all the actors were perfect through out the entire movie and I can watch it again & again & again still can't get enough that's a testament to the movie production the other 2 movies as well that are linked together
I'm trying to imagine being in the theater when the movie first came out. The whole sequence of events is beautiful. The grave DIDN'T hold the treasure. The THREE way Mexican standoff was set in the middle of a cemetery. Blondie shoots and kills Angel Eyes then nonchalantly shoots his hat and gun into the grave with him while Tuco has an EMPTY gun. There's NO name on the stone means Blondie made sure IF he DIDN'T live that NOBODY else would get the money. Cinematic BRILLIANCE!
..and Angel Eyes & Tuco probably realised (at least Angel eyes) that Blondie might not have written the name of the grave on the stone.. meaning that if the duel resulted in Blondie being the one to catch a bullet, they would never get their hands on the money. Hence why they drew on each other instead of at Blondie. Angel Eyes seemed to have considered drawing at Blondie at 5:36 & at 6:03 and thus ignore the posibility of the name not being written on the stone, but he ultimately didn't go through with it. ..and Blondie probably knew all of this as well, seeing how he literally showed both of them his back as he was walking towards the center of the cemetary without fear of being shot prematurely. ..and also, the reason why Angel eyes seems so scared and shaky throughout the standoff is most likely because he knows that he can't kill/draw on Blondie (for the reason mentioned above), and he also knows that Blondie probably won't let him live if he doesn't shoot Blondie.. as he has no reason to spare him. And seeing how (as mentioned above) he ultimately doesn't want to risk shooting Blondie, he's literally out of options and thus utterly terrified.
@@obi-wankenobi2084 yeah Angel Eyes sealed his death by choosing to follow Blondie's suggestion. He could have shot them both and walk away and live. But I guess hindsight is always 20/20
Charles Kuckel I saw this in its first run, with my younger sister. We were mesmerized and stayed in our seats to watch it again. My mom sent 2 sisters after us. They got hooked and stayed. The last 2 sisters came to get the 4 of us, but all stayed. I saw this movie 4 times that day, and my mom was majorly pissed at us all that night at 11 when we finally got home.
