9. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.

Director: Sergio Leone

Writers: Luciano Vincenzoni (story), Sergio Leone (story) |5 more credits »

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef

Story:
During the American Civil War, mercenary Angel Eyes interrogates former Confederate soldier Stevens about Bill Carson, a fugitive who stole a cache of Confederate gold. Stevens offers Angel Eyes $1,000 to kill Baker, Angel Eyes's employer. Angel Eyes accepts the contract, and kills Stevens as he leaves. Angel Eyes returns to Baker for his fee, then shoots Baker, fulfilling his contract with Stevens.

Meanwhile, Mexican bandit Tuco Ramirez is rescued from three bounty hunters by "Blondie", who delivers him to the local sheriff to collect his $2,000 bounty. As Tuco is about to be hanged, Blondie shoots Tuco's noose and sets him free. The two escape on horseback and split the bounty in a lucrative money-making scheme. As Blondie grows weary of Tuco's complaints, he abandons him penniless in the desert.

Tuco survives and tracks Blondie to a town being abandoned by Confederate troops. As he prepares to kill Blondie, Union forces shell the town, allowing Blondie to escape. Following an arduous search, Tuco finds Blondie and force-marches him across a desertuntil Blondie collapses from dehydration. As Tuco prepares to shoot him, he sees a runaway carriage. Inside is a delirious Bill Carson, who promises Tuco $200,000 in Confederate gold, buried in a grave in Sad Hill Cemetery. When Tuco returns with water, Carson is dead, and Blondie reveals that he knows the name on the grave where the gold is buried.

Tuco and Blondie travel to a frontier mission, disguising themselves as Confederate soldiers. After Blondie's recovery, the two leave in their Confederate uniforms, only to be captured by Union soldiers and remanded to the POW camp of Batterville. At roll call, Tuco answers for "Bill Carson," getting the attention of Angel Eyes, now a disguised Unionsergeant at the camp. Angel Eyes tortures Tuco, who reveals the name of the cemetery, but confesses that only Blondie knows the name on the grave. Realizing that Blondie will not yield to torture, Angel Eyes offers him an equal share of the gold and a partnership. Blondie agrees and rides out with Angel Eyes and his gang. Tuco is packed on a train to be executed, but escapes.

Blondie, Angel Eyes, and his henchmen arrive in an evacuated town. Tuco, having fled to the same town, takes a bath in a ramshackle hotel and is surprised by Elam, a bounty hunter searching for him. Tuco shoots Elam. Blondie investigates the gunshots and finds Tuco, and they agree to resume their old partnership. The pair kill Angel Eyes's men, but discover that Angel Eyes himself has escaped.

Tuco and Blondie travel to Sad Hill, now held by Confederate troops on one side of a strategic bridge against the advancing Union troops. Blondie decides to destroy the bridge to disperse the two armies to allow access to the cemetery. As they wire the bridge with explosives, Tuco suggests they share information, in case one person dies before he can help the other. Tuco reveals the name of the cemetery, while Blondie reveals the name on the grave as "Arch Stanton." After the bridge explodes, the armies disperse, and Tuco steals a horse and rides to Sand Hill to claim the gold for himself. He finds Arch Stanton's grave and begins digging. Blondie arrives and encourages him at gunpoint to continue. A moment later, Angel Eyes surprises them both, also at gunpoint. Blondie opens Stanton's grave, revealing just a skeleton. Blondie writes the real name of the grave on a rock and challenges Tuco and Angel Eyes to a three-way duel.

The trio stare each other down. Everyone draws. Blondie kills Angel Eyes, while Tuco discovers that his own gun was unloaded by Blondie the night before. Blondie directs him to a grave beside Arch Stanton's marked "Unknown." Inside are bags of gold. Tuco is initially elated, until Blondie orders him into a hangman's noose beneath a tree. Blondie binds Tuco's hands and forces him atop an unsteady grave marker, takes half the gold and rides away. As Tuco screams at him, Blondie turns around at the horizon, aims his rifle and fires, severing the rope and dropping Tuco, alive and angry, onto his share of the gold.