1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

#471- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach
Directed by: Sergio Leone


Plot Summary: During the Civil War, Mexican bandit Tuco Ramirez is ambushed by bounty hunters, but is saved by the mysterious Blondie, where they then form a business partnership of collecting bounties on Tuco's head and saving him at the last second. They stumble upon a dying fugitive named Bill Carson, who has information about a cache filled with 200,000 dollars of Confederate gold. Carson tells Tuco the graveyard where the gold is buried, and tells Blondie the name on the grave. Tuco and Blondie disguise themselves as Confederate soldiers and are taken to a Union prison camp, where they meet the ruthless Angel Eyes, who has also been searching for the gold. Angel Eyes tortures Tuco to get his information on the gold's whereabouts and forms a partnership with Blondie to split the gold between the two of them. Once Blondie is able to get away from Angel Eyes, he reforms his original partnership with Tuco. When all three men arrive at the graveyard, it is agreed that the three of them can't share the gold, so the gold will go to the two men that survive a three-way Mexican standoff.


When I started this whole Western month, there was only one objective I had in mind: to see The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. There are usually two types of Western fans out there. There are those who idolize John Wayne as the great American cowboy, or those who prefer Clint Eastwood as a more rugged and gritty outlaw type of anti-hero. I remember having a discussion with my uncle last year about his experience with Westerns when he was growing up and he told me that him and his brothers grew up at a very unique time to be a Western fan, as they were able to see the twilight years of John Wayne's career and the beginning stages of Clint Eastwood's career. From that conversation, I knew there was only one conclusive thing I could do to formulate my opinion, which was to watch a handful of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies to see which style I preferred better.

The star of the film, as well as being "The Good," is Clint Eastwood as Blondie. Eastwood is actually known as "The Man with No Name," a character that is used throughout Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy and has a different nickname in each film. Like I said in the intro, Eastwood is a very different type of leading man than John Wayne was. Instead of being the traditional cowboy who upholds justice and being the epitome of good, Eastwood plays an outlaw with enough charisma and attitude to pull the audience into rooting for him. There are way too many scenes where you will be left in amazement of how cool of a character Blondie is, and a lot of that has to do with the performance given by Eastwood, who was still a relatively new actor at the time and this was the role that started his legacy as one of the most celebrated entertainers in film history. Eastwood's look also adds a lot to modern Western pop culture, making it cooler to be an outlaw than a cowboy.

Angel Eyes, played by Lee Van Cleef, is "The Bad." Van Cleef, who has appeared in minor roles in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, gives the character a very menacing presence through the use of a sly grin and sharp, narrow eyes (hence his nickname). In all honesty, Angel Eyes is the character with the least amount of screen time out of the three leads, but in this case, sometimes less is more as he is able to leave a lasting impression with the audience through a limited amount of scenes. Within his introduction, he is able to utilize his grin and stare and is proves to be a formidable antagonist, and uses little to no words for most of the scene. Only towards the end of the scene does he actually talk, but by then, you KNOW that he is going to be a character worth remembering throughout the film.

"The Ugly" is Tuco Ramirez, played by Eli Wallach. Wallach is that nice bridge between Blondie and Angel Eyes, where the audience being unsure if Tuco is a good guy or a bad guy. In hindsight, most of the characters have villainous tactics, but it is Tuco that is the least trustworthy of the three, but is also the most fun. He has many great lines and moments that range from hilarious to epic, including one scene where he tells a character off on why they shouldn't monologue before shooting him. However there are some really good scenes in which he develops a respectful partnership with Blondie, and a scene with Tuco's brother that unveils a lot about how Tuco's biggest demon is his greed and all that it has cost him. A lot of these scenes are actually thoroughly enjoyable, and all the more reason of why Tuco STILL isn't a trustworthy character, because despite all these admirable qualities, he will still sell you out for a shot at riches.

Only on rare occasion do I find it important to mention a film's music when discussing the important aspects of the film. THIS is the kind of film that is worth mentioning for its music. The score by Ennio Morricone offers three of my all-time favorite songs in movie history. Of course there is the film's theme song that is so iconic that anybody could reference what movie it's from by listening to it. But there are other songs that are iconic through the scenes they are used in. The famous graveyard scene where Blondie, Angel Eyes, and Tuco face off in a three-way Mexican standoff is highlighted by the songs "The Ecstasy of Gold" and "The Triple Duel." Add in great cinematography through the use of camera cuts and close ups and you have a recipe for great storytelling both visually and audibly. Don't believe me? Then watch the scene in its original form and then repeat the scene but without sound, it has an entirely different feel to it which illustrates that in order to properly execute the scene, both sound and visuals are necessary.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has a lasting film legacy in four areas. The first is Westerns, obviously, as it is one of the most recognizable names in the genre. The second is the career of Clint Eastwood (which I mentioned earlier), because without this film, he might not be the screen legend that he is today. The next two might be a little surprising, but the third is in the context of movie prequels. While the film is the final installment in the Dollars Trilogy, there are enough plot details that indicate that it takes place BEFORE A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. And the final subject is for foreign films. If you paid attention to some of the odd looking dubbing for the film, then you will notice that this isn't a purely American film. In fact, it is actually an Italian film instead. The amount of genres that this film fits within cements its rich value in cinematic history.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

WOW! Just WOW! The Good, the Bad and the Ugly lived up to every expectation I had for it and became an instant favorite of mine. Without a question this is the best Western I've seen so far and I personally recommend everyone see it and own in your DVD collection.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and movie images are copyrighted by United Artists

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

#402- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Starring: James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles
Directed by: John Ford


Plot Summary: After an attack from the ruthless Liberty Valance and his gang, Ransom Stoddard is rescued and nursed back to health with the help of Tom Doniphon and Hallie Ericson. Valance terrorizes the town of Shinbone with Marshal Link Appleyard and the rest of the citizens unwilling to enforce the law on Valance. The only person courageous enough to stand up to Valance are Stoddard and Doniphon, but under different circumstances. As a lawyer, Stoddard believes that enforcing the law is enough, and as a gunslinger, Doniphon believes the only way to bring peace would be to kill Valance. After being embarrassed by Valance, and not wanting Doniphon to fight his battles for him, Stoddard acquires a gun and begins to train himself for something he may not want to do, but knows it might be the only way to enforce the law in Shinbone, as he plans to get his revenge and shoot Liberty Valance.


When it came time to handle a John Wayne film for Western month, I had a pretty tough time selecting one. I was originally going to do The Searchers, often considered John Wayne's best film, but decided to save some of the more iconic Westerns for a later date. That being said, I was very much intrigued by The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Why? Well, not only is it a Western that stars John Wayne, one of the greatest cowboy actors of all time, but also stars James Stewart, one of my favorite actors of all time and definitely my favorite actor of the earlier days of cinema.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is centered on Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard, played by James Stewart. Stoddard is a lawyer who feels out of his element within the Western setting and actually questions a lot of the ethics and logistics of why things are the way they are. There's an entertainingly self-aware attitude towards that that I can't help but find humorous and actually agreeing with Stoddard. Like many of his films, this is just another film in which Stewart gets to shine as one of the greatest actors of all time. He's a likeable main character, but not one you would imagine rooting for in the Old West because he is not a traditional cowboy, but is more of an underdog than anything else.

Stoddard is helped, reluctantly, by Tom Doniphon, played by John Wayne. Despite being one of the most celebrated Western actors of all time, The Duke takes a back seat to Stewart in terms of screen time and primary focus within the plot. For majority of the film, Tom feels like a supporting character that is given weight due to John Wayne's star power. Tom's importance to the story becomes more prevalent in the film's final moments, but it Wayne's natural charisma that fuels the character's popularity. From his classical good looks, to the way he carries himself, to the way he says "Pilgrim," there are many facets to him that make John Wayne one of the most iconic actors of all time. 

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has a great cast of side characters. Among them are Hallie, played by Vera Miles, the love interest of both Ranse and Tom. She's a good enough character who is more of a plot point to stir up conflict between the two leads. Tom's right hand man Pompey, played by Woody Strode, serves as that "slave" type of sidekick for Tom and that's all I'll say about that (not opening that can of worms). There's the dim-witted Marshal Link Appleyard, played Andy Devine, who is rather annoying in how incompetent he is despite the fact that he is the Marshal of the town.

There are side characters, however, that really stick out among the great performances in the film. One of them is the film's antagonist Liberty Valance, played by Lee Marvin. He is having so much fun at playing this pompous and smarmy outlaw, that it is almost really hard to not "love to hate" him. The other is Mr. Peabody, the town drunk and owner of the newspaper played by Edmund O'Brien. Maybe it's my involvement with working for my school's newspaper, but I took a real liking to Peabody as a character, finding him very charming and humorous, as well as sympathetic when it is appropriate.

In terms of the film's legacy, it is the combination of the two veteran actors working together in a Western setting (there seems to be a pattern there, I'm sounding like a broken record). It's a bit slower paced than other films I've watched where the Old West is packed with action. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance takes its time in investing in the town and characters, rather than focus on violence. It's a refreshing change of pace that takes its time to establish exposition before moving forward with the rest of the film. While there are some problems with the film that haven't aged well, it is still enjoyable thanks to a wonderful combination of great characters and storytelling.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I'm not sure if it was because of John Wayne's lack of screen time as opposed to James Stewart's, but something seemed "off" about The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I'd recommend this film as a weekend rental in order to see some likable supporting characters, a loathsome villain, and great leading performances from James Stewart and John Wayne.

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

#516- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
Directed by: George Roy Hill


Plot Summary: In 1890s Wyoming, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid return to their hideout to reunite with their infamous Hole in the Wall Gang. They proceed to pull off many train heists and become two of the most notorious outlaws in the West. In pursuit of revenge for the heists, E.H. Harriman, the owner of the Union Pacific railroad, has paid a posse to track Butch and Sundance until they are killed. With the help of Sundance's lover, Etta Place, the three escape to Bolivia to begin a new life of crime. Paranoid over being found by Harriman's posse, Butch suggests that he and Sundance give up their life of crime and proceed to live an honest life, so the two get real jobs and while they try their hardest to live honorable lives, they are forced back into a life of crime and admit that the straight life isn't for them.


When it comes to Westerns, there aren't many more famous than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Going into the film, there's enough that I knew about it. I knew about Robert Redford and Paul Newman, Burt Bacharach doing the film's score, the song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," and a handful of iconic scenes. What else is there to know about the film? I knew that when I finally sat down to watch this one, that I'd be watching a Western with great acting performances from two of the best actors of that era. But, is that all that the film has going for it?

The film stars one of the greatest teams in film history, with perfect comedic timing and a proper dichotomy of personalities. On one half of the spectrum is Butch Cassidy, played by Paul Newman. Butch is crafty and intelligent, relying little on his skills with a firearm and more on his quick thinking and speaking skills. He has a very clean cut look to him that is befitting of the classical leading men in Hollywood. His skills are complemented by the Sundance Kid, played by Robert Redford. Redford plays Sundance as a rugged "bad boy" type of outlaw that was more modern and up-to-date with what was popular with moviegoers. He has some of the quickest shooting skills in the world and uses his sarcasm to get his humor across. Together, the two are able to play characters that bicker and interact with each other like that of best friends (or a married couple, either way).

Butch and Sundance receive unexpected help from their partner and friend, Etta Place, played by Katherine Ross. Etta doesn't bring as much to the table as her male counterparts, and could even be considered a bit on the bland side. The only thing she offers to the plot is her relationship with Sundance, and a teased potential relationship with Butch that could be developed (we'll label it "platonish" for all my How I Met Your Mother fans out there). However, her characters is fairly harmless or a detriment to our two protagonists.

With great performances from Newman and Redford, the film does not NEED to have a cohesive and innovative plot. The film plays out like a bunch of chapters from Butch and Sundance's lives, reminiscent of film serials. Intertwined with the perfect blend of action, suspense, romance, and comedy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a film that propelled two young actors into iconic status, which has helped boost the film's popularity throughout the years. Its biggest contribution to the Western genre was by taking a familiar genre and adding a modern attitude through its main characters, giving us non-traditional outlaws that instantly became moviegoer favorites in the category of iconic on-screen duos.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thanks to the charismatic star power of Newman and Redford, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a film that is often cited as one of the most important Westerns in film history and pop culture. For that, this is one film everyone should see once, and one all Western lovers should own in their collection.

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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

#336- Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming
Directed by: John Sturges


Plot Summary: Marshal Wyatt Earp travels to Fort Griffin, Texas, with hopes of bringing Ike Clanton and Johnny Ringo into custody. When they are released from prison, Earp seeks the help of gunslinger Doc Holliday to help him track down the outlaws. Thanks to a grudge with Wyatt's brother, Morgan, Holliday refuses his request, and they meet up again in Dodge City, Kansas. Earp lets Holliday stay in town if he promises not to fight anyone. Earp also meets and falls in love with a gambler named Laura Denbow, but is called away from her when his brother, Virgil, requests help from the lawman. When Laura refuses to go with him, Wyatt Earp rides with Doc Holliday to clean up Tombstone, Arizona.


One of the older Westerns that I was intrigued to watch this month was Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. I understood that some aspects of the earlier days of the Western might not hold up with a modern viewing, but I was pleasantly surprised at what did age well, and was even entertained by a number of things that would nowadays be considered "campy." I had the perfect mindset for this film, to enter skeptical and with expectations lowered (purely because of what might not have aged well), which led to a pleasantly surprising and fun viewing experience. Another level added to my enjoyment was when after the film started to carry on, I had a moment of revelation where I exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, this is like Tombstone." Knowing that this film shared characters and similar plot points, my excitement was heightened even further, I knew this was going to be really good.

Burt Lancaster stars as Marshal Wyatt Earp. At first, Earp was a bit too plain for my taste, but after a while, I thought it fit his character. Earp's natural instincts are as an honorable and honest lawman, and Lancaster plays him as such. Add in a few scenes where he can get emotional, even vengeful, and many scenes where he can flash his trademark grin, and you've got the proper type of heroics for a protagonist the audience can get behind.

The true highlight of the film is Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday. Every line Holliday says is golden, ranging from humorous to just plain cool. Douglas's portrayal of Holliday is an excellent depiction of a rugged gunslinger from the West, and is a character that is made even better through the natural charisma of Douglas. Watch the ways that he treads the fine line between good and evil (an excellent anti-hero if you ask me), and how darn entertaining it is when he does so. I can't count the times where I saw Holliday speak or interact and go "Man, I love this character," he's THAT awesome.

There are a handful of other noteworthy characters in the film. Wyatt's brothers, Virgil, Morgan, and James, played by John Hudson, DeForest Kelley, and Martin Milner respectively, are obviously important in filling the family dynamic that Wyatt values. None of them really stand out on their own, except maybe Morgan (only because DeForest Kelley was Dr. McCoy for all those Star Trek fans out there). Wyatt's love interest, Laura Denbow, played by Rhonda Fleming, is entertaining through her tough demeanor on gambling. But when she refuses to go with or wait for Wyatt while he's in Tombstone, you're kind of left saying "Why in the world would she do that?" Doc's love interest, Kate Fisher, played by Jo Van Fleet, is a bit of a mixed bag because of her ability to flip flop between loving Doc and loving his enemy, Johnny Ringo, played by John Ireland. Also, be on the lookout for a young Dennis Hopper as Billy Clanton. It's a minor role, but has been made much more significant due to Hopper's legacy as an actor.

At the end of the day, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is a lot of fun, and offers many great scenes that fit the stereotypes of the Western genre. The shootouts are full of suspense, the characters represent the dichotomy of good and evil (with Doc being that midpoint, of course), the landscape, sets, and costumes help fully emerge the audience into an environment befitting of the Old West. The film even has music that sings the exposition between scenes (so cheesy, yet so catchy and entertaining all at the same time). This film fully embodies a tale of Western legends like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, with aesthetics and an environment that is equally as iconic as the legends portrayed on the big-screen.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Here's a Western that is able to thrive based on the performances of its two lead actors. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is a film full of fun Western stereotypes that I recommend all fans of Westerns should own in their DVD collection. Also, as a bonus, watch it alongside Tombstone if you want an Old vs. New type of film comparison.

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Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Django Unchained

#1153- Django Unchained (2012)
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino


Plot Summary: In the year 1858, Django is freed from a life of slavery thanks to a dentist named Dr. King Schultz. There is more to this German dentist, however, as he is also a bounty hunter who recruits Django to be his partner and apprentice in tracking down wanted men. Django tells Schultz of how he was separated from his wife, Broomhilda, and Schultz, feeling responsible for Django, agrees to help him find her. Schultz uncovers the identity of Broomhilda's owner as Calvin Candie, the owner of a slave plantation where slaves are forced to wrestle in "Mandingo fights." Schultz devises a plan for him and Django to meet with Calvin at his plantation, Candyland, with an interest in buying one of Calvin's prized fighters, purchase Broomhilda on the side, and disappear from the plantation before the deal can be finalized. However, with many resources on his plantation, including a loyal house slave named Stephen, Calvin might make it very difficult for Django and Dr. Schultz to escape Candyland with Broomhilda so easily.


Last time, I was discussing what a great director like Quentin Tarantino could bring to the table for the gangster genre. Tarantino's most recent release, Django Unchained, offers the same style of filmmaking that Tarantino is famous for, but incorporates it in a much different genre, the Western. Django Unchained is usually labelled as Tarantino's tribute to the genre of spaghetti Westerns, but this month will be used to look at all variations of the Western genre. This film is all the more unique for combining a very controversial issue of race within a revenge type of action film, which incorporates Tarantino's equally controversial approach to on-screen violence, while also utilizing a great group of characters that are all acted wonderfully, and placing all of these elements in an iconic genre of film that had been left unnoticed from a modern audience for quite some time.

Jamie Foxx stars as Django Freeman (the D is silent). Django isn't a super complex character, as he has two main objectives, revenge for slavery and finding his wife, Broomhilda, played by Kerry Washington. Just because his motivations are simple, doesn't mean they aren't good. In fact, the simpler his motivations are, the easier it is for the audience to relate. Apart from that, the only other main thing about Django as a character is that he's "cool." Just look at what he wears, what he says, and the way he does many things throughout the film, and tell me that Jamie Foxx isn't trying his hardest to make sure Django is a "cool" character. He's no Samuel L. Jackson (the irony of that statement awaits in a few paragraphs), but Django is still able to be ruthless when he needs to, while maintain his composure, the epitome of a BA (you know what I mean, so I won't say it) character.

One of Django's biggest problems as a character is that he is considerably "bland" in comparison to many other characters that steal the show, including his partner in bounty hunting, Dr. King Schultz, played by. Christoph Waltz. There's something so charismatic about a character like Dr. Schultz that leaves the audience entertained by everything he says and does. There is a story to be told about Schultz (one I'd LOVE to see one day) that the audience does not get to see upon his introduction, but are left wanting to fill in the blanks and know more about him. From his knowledge of being a bounty hunter, to his skills with weaponry, to his horse (his horse freaking bows his head when his name is said...AMAZING). One of the greatest aspects of many great Tarantino characters are in the little things they do, and Dr. Schultz encompasses many great "little" qualities and facets that make up a memorable character.

An example made great through the reputation of the actor is through the film's main antagonist Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio plays Candie as a villain the audience can "love to hate." He is so humorous and witty in some scenes, yet vicious and threatening when he needs to be. One of the most infamous moments involving DiCaprio's performance includes a scene where he breaks a glass in a fit of rage. For the record, DiCaprio actually broke the glass by mistake, continued the scene, and THAT was the take they used for the film (and this guy doesn't have an Academy Award because...!?!?!?). You can see the authority that Calvin holds over everyone based on how he carries himself and is in control of all that's around him. He's not as detestable villain as you would think, but is rather one where you admit that while what he's doing is so horrible, he has a certain style and class to his reputation which is actually kinda respectable (emphasis on kinda).

The film's widely covered controversial topic of racism is epitomized through the character of Stephen, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson plays a very stereotypical slave character and is one of many characters to use colorful (no pun intended) vernacular towards slaves. It isn't exactly considered offensive to hear characters like Django and Stephen use the phrases, but it is when it is said by slave owners like Calvin and Big Daddy, played by Don Johnson. I can admit to feeling uncomfortable whenever one of those words were uttered, no matter the skin color of the character, because I felt it was excessive, but if you know Tarantino's style, he thrives off of excessive (just look at the amount of blood in this movie), so I really shouldn't have found it THAT surprising. It's very self-aware, and makes it offensive, but in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way (including one surprising hilarious scene involving the KKK, and that's all I'll say about that).

Like I said above, Django Unchained is able to incorporate all of those qualities into one film, but perhaps the biggest contribution the film has in history is by creating a resurgence of popularity in creating an epic film in the form of a Western. The sets and costumes are so lavish that the film is given an iconic look that captures an aesthetic befitting of the Western genre, but with a modern spin on all of it. The best thing Tarantino could have done for this film is to display that the genre could continue to thrive with a modern audience and that it could evolve through the vision of a modern filmmaker, and that's just what he did.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Perhaps the greatest thing I can say about Django Unchained as a film is that for a near 3 hour runtime, the film has some of the best natural pacing I've ever seen for a film. Add that to an amazing cast of characters created by an amazing director, and you have a film that I would recommend everyone should see and own in their DVD collection.

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Django Unchained and movie images are copyrighted by The Weinstein Company