History YMMV / THEGOODTHEBADANDTHEUGLY

* HypeBacklash: There has been a slowly increasing amount of backlash towards the movie in the past few years, with people calling it overrated and boring.

* WhatAnIdiot: The One-Armed Bounty Hunter, who was wounded by Tuco, decides to seek revenge on him for the loss of his right arm. When he finally gets to confront his enemy, seemingly helpless in his bathtub....\\
'''You'd Expect:''' The hunter to say only a few words before killing Tuco right there, [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim or just kill him without talking]].\\
'''Instead:''' He takes his sweet time to [[EvilGloating gloat about looking for Tuco for 8 months, and the time he spent learning to shoot with his left hand]]. The end result? [[TalkToTheFist Tuco shooting him at the very end of his talking]] with his own gun hidden in the soap foam. {{Lampshaded}} by Tuco with the line: "When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Tuco guilty of all those crimes that are being read off just before he's hanged, or has he falsely admitted to these crimes to drive up his bounty, and make his and Blondie's scam more profitable? His second list of crimes is considerable longer than the first, which we hear in its entirety.

* CompleteMonster: [[ProfessionalKiller Angel Eyes/Sentenza]] ("The Bad") from the original cut is a [[PsychoForHire sociopathic mercenary]] whose only concern is [[OnlyInItForTheMoney making as much money as possible]]. In the opening scenes of the film, he tracks down and murders a man at another's behest. When his victim offers him money if he will spare his life, Angel Eyes replies, "Once I'm been paid, I always see my job through to the end." He kills the man and his son, takes the money, and reports to his employer...whom he promptly kills, since he wants to keep the gold he's found out about for himself. He proceeds to [[WouldHitAGirl beat the information about the location of the gold out of a hooker]]. Later, he has Tuco tortured and watches with absolutely no emotion on his face. While this is going on, he has his men force the [=POW=]s to sing in order to cover up the sounds of their friends being tortured.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Tuco guilty of all those crimes that are being read off just before he's hanged, or has he falsely admitted to these crimes to drive up his bounty, and make his and Blondie's scam more profitable?

* WhatAnIdiot:
** In an ultimate example that involves EvilGloating interrupted with a TalkToTheFist, the One-Armed Bounty Hunter that caught Tuco while the latter was taking a bath. Tuco even [[LampshadeHanging mentioned]] that if he was going to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shoot him,]] shoot. Don't talk.
** Tuco himself became an example earlier, when he could have hanged Blondie faster (and tied his hands) instead of just sat there monologuing, but given his obsessive FoeYay sadism, it's sort of understandable on his part.
** Both Angel Eyes and Tuco theoretically could guess [[spoiler: the money was at least somewhere near Arch Stanton's grave. Otherwise, how did he know there ''was'' an Arch Stanton in the graveyard?]] Possibly justified in that neither have enough time to really think about before the MexicanStandoff. On top of that, it would be a lot easier to just learn the name instead of digging up several graves until they find the right one.
** Even Blondie isn't immune to a bout of idiocy. When he decides his gambit with Tuco has run its course, he just leaves him out to die the desert instead of just letting him hang the next round. Because of his rule of only killing in self defense, and that he was positive the bandit, with his impatient and impulsive nature, and bound tight with rope, wouldn't survive out in the heat, this mistake almost costs him his life. He clearly took for granted Tuco's admonishment.
-->'''Tuco''': But if you miss you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco. Nothing!

* EarWorm: One of the most unforgettable musical scores in history. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFa1-kciCb4 And by that we mean this.]]

** "The Ecstasy of Gold" and "The Trio" play a large part in creating one of the most memorable finales in the history of film. The former in particular is so memorable that Music/{{Metallica}} have used "The Ecstasy of Gold" to open their concerts since 1983.
** The opening theme is so iconic that one only need hear the first whistle to be immediately reminded of the Western genre, even if one has no idea where it came from.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: "The Ecstasy of Gold" and "The Trio" play a large part in creating one of the most memorable finales in the history of film. The former in particular is so memorable that Music/{{Metallica}} have used "The Ecstasy of Gold" to open their concerts since 1983. The opening theme is so iconic that one only need hear the first whistle to be immediately reminded of the Western genre, even if one has no idea where it came from.

* DesignatedHero: Outside of a PetTheDog moment here and there, Blondie's status as "the Good" is... pretty questionable. He mostly comes across well in comparison with his rivals, but he's also emotionally distant and not as personable as his bandido rival Tuco.

* CompleteMonster: [[ProfessionalKiller Angel Eyes/Sentenza]] ("The Bad") from the original cut is a [[PsychoForHire sociopathic mercenary]] whose only concern is [[OnlyInItForTheMoney making as much money as possible]]. In the opening scenes of the film, he tracks down and murders a man at another's behest. When his victim offers him money if he will spare his life, Angel Eyes replies, "Once I'm been paid, I always see my job through to the end." He kills the man and his son, takes the money, and reports to his employer...whom he promptly kills, since he wants to keep the gold he's found out about for himself. He proceeds to [[WouldHitAGirl beat the information about the location of the gold out of a hooker]]. Later on, he has Tuco tortured and watches with absolutely no emotion on his face. While this is going on, he has his men force the [=POW=]s to sing in order to cover up the sounds of their friends being tortured.

* CompleteMonster: [[ProfessionalKiller Angel Eyes/Sentenza]] ("The Bad") from the International Cut is a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[PsychoForHire mercenary]] whose only concern is [[OnlyInItForTheMoney making as much money as possible]]. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment In the opening scenes of the film]], he tracks down and murders a man at another's behest. When his victim offers him money if he will spare his life, Angel Eyes replies, "Once I'm been paid, I always see my job through to the end." He kills the man and his son, takes the money, and reports to his employer...whom he promptly kills, since he wants to keep the gold he's found out about for himself. He proceeds to [[WouldHitAGirl beat the information about the location of the gold out of a hooker]]. Later on, he has [[ColdBloodedTorture Tuco tortured]] and watches with absolutely no emotion on his face. While this is going on, he has his men force the [=POW=]s to sing in order to cover up the sounds of their friends being tortured. He's less a character than he is {{Greed}} in a trench coat and cowboy hat. He's so bad that the other two main characters — [[BlackAndGrayMorality no saints themselves]] — [[EnemyMine both agree to shoot him]] in the three-way MexicanStandoff that ends the film, [[TeethClenchedTeamwork despite their extreme distaste for one another]]. [[TheStoic Cold-blooded]] and without remorse, Angel Eyes will cross any lines, and commit any crime as long as he can make a profit doing it.

* CompleteMonster: [[PsychoForHire Angel Eyes/Sentenza]] ("The Bad") from the International Cut is a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[ProfessionalKiller mercenary]] whose only concern is [[OnlyInItForTheMoney making as much money as possible]]. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment In the opening scenes of the film]], he tracks down and murders a man at another's behest. When his victim offers him money if he will spare his life, Angel Eyes replies, "Once I'm been paid, I always see my job through to the end." He kills the man and his son, takes the money, and reports to his employer...whom he promptly kills, since he wants to keep the gold he's found out about for himself. He proceeds to [[WouldHitAGirl beat the information about the location of the gold out of a hooker]]. Later on, he has [[ColdBloodedTorture Tuco tortured]] and watches with absolutely no emotion on his face. While this is going on, he has his men force the [=POW=]s to sing in order to cover up the sounds of their friends being tortured. He's less a character than he is {{Greed}} in a trench coat and cowboy hat. He's so bad that the other two main characters — [[BlackAndGrayMorality no saints themselves]] — [[EnemyMine both agree to shoot him]] in the three-way MexicanStandoff that ends the film, [[TeethClenchedTeamwork despite their extreme distaste for one another]]. [[TheStoic Cold-blooded]] and without remorse, Angel Eyes will cross any lines, and commit any crime as long as he can make a profit doing it.

* CompleteMonster: [[ProfessionalKiller Angel Eyes/Sentenza]] ("The Bad") from the International Cut is a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[PsychoForHire mercenary]] whose only concern is [[OnlyInItForTheMoney making as much money as possible]]. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment In the opening scenes of the film]], he tracks down and murders a man at another's behest. When his victim offers him money if he will spare his life, Angel Eyes replies, "Once I'm been paid, I always see my job through to the end." He kills the man and his son, takes the money, and reports to his employer...whom he promptly kills, since he wants to keep the gold he's found out about for himself. He proceeds to [[WouldHitAGirl beat the information about the location of the gold out of a hooker]]. Later on, he has [[ColdBloodedTorture Tuco tortured]] and watches with absolutely no emotion on his face. While this is going on, he has his men force the [=POW=]s to sing in order to cover up the sounds of their friends being tortured. He's less a character than he is {{Greed}} in a trench coat and cowboy hat. He's so bad that the other two main characters — [[BlackAndGrayMorality no saints themselves]] — [[EnemyMine both agree to shoot him]] in the three-way MexicanStandoff that ends the film, [[TeethClenchedTeamwork despite their extreme distaste for one another]]. [[TheStoic Cold-blooded]] and without remorse, Angel Eyes will cross any lines, and commit any crime as long as he can make a profit doing it.

** Both Angel Eyes and Tuco theoretically could guess [[spoiler: the money was at least somewhere near Arch Stanton's grave. Otherwise, how did he know there ''was'' an Arch Stanton in the graveyard?]] Possibly justified in that neither have enough time to really think about before the MexicanStandoff.

** In the original Italian version and the extended cut released in 2003, however, he's given just enough sympathetic moments to disqualify him from being a ''COMPLETE'' monster.

* CompleteMonster: [[ProfessionalKiller Angel Eyes/Sentenza]] ("The Bad") from the original cut is a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] [[PsychoForHire mercenary]] whose only concern is [[OnlyInItForTheMoney making as much money as possible]]. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment In the opening scenes of the film]], he tracks down and murders a man at another's behest. When his victim offers him money if he will spare his life, Angel Eyes replies, "Once I'm been paid, I always see my job through to the end." He kills the man and his son, takes the money, and reports to his employer...whom he promptly kills, since he wants to keep the gold he's found out about for himself. He proceeds to [[WouldHitAGirl beat the information about the location of the gold out of a hooker]]. Later on, he has [[ColdBloodedTorture Tuco tortured]] and watches with absolutely no emotion on his face. While this is going on, he has his men force the [=POW=]s to sing in order to cover up the sounds of their friends being tortured. He's less a character than he is {{Greed}} in a trench coat and cowboy hat. He's so bad that the other two main characters — [[BlackAndGrayMorality no saints themselves]] — [[EnemyMine both agree to shoot him]] in the three-way MexicanStandoff that ends the film, [[TeethClenchedTeamwork despite their extreme distaste for one another]]. [[TheStoic Cold-blooded]] and without remorse, Angel Eyes will cross any lines, and commit any crime as long as he can make a profit doing it.
** In the extended cut, however, he's given just enough sympathetic moments to disqualify him from being a ''COMPLETE'' monster.

* FoeYay[=/=]HoYay: Blondie and Tuco, mostly carried through bizarre DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything innuendo. They are really into tying each other up, Tuco bursts in on Blondie tenderly polishing his gun in his hotel room (not a euphemism), and while Blondie is talking to the naked Tuco in the bathtub, he smirks, while suggestively playing with the end of a bedpost. This is almost certainly intentional, as Creator/SergioLeone made them share a bed for the whole of filming as EnforcedMethodActing. Creator/QuentinTarantino, who was heavily influenced by the film, claims to ship it a lot.

* EpicRiff: The flute part at the beginning of the main theme.

* MagnificentBastard: "Blondie" qualifies, see the [[YMMV/DollarsTrilogy main page]] for details.

* AwardSnub: Among many other things, two blog posts decided that Creator/EliWallach deserved the Oscar for Best Leading Actor 1966 as Tuco. (http://popculturepalace.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-actor-of-1966-nominees-for-best.html#.WBQKJKTXFaA.facebook) (http://actoroscar.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/alternate-best-actor-1966-eli-wallach.html?m=1)

* FridgeBrilliance: While the MexicanStandOff seems to have an uncertain issue at the first viewing, in an incredibly subtle instance of ShowDontTell, Leone is actually showing the public how it's going to end: [[spoiler: at first Tuco hesitates between Angel Eyes and Blondie, frantically switching his sight between the two, though it is foreshadowed by a scene that Tuco is more inclined to kill Angel Eyes, while Angel Eyes quickly asserts that Blondie is the most dangerous of the two, and stares at him. Meanwhile Blondie looks at Tuco and without exchanging a single world, with only a single nod from Blondie, they agree to both shoot Angel Eyes. They lure the latter into a trap, only staring at each others to have him drop his guard, Angel Eyes thinking he has an opening against Blondie sneaks his hand to his revolver and tries to shoot him, having checked that Tuco wasn't looking either, but Blondie reacts faster and kills Angel Eyes, while Tuco tries to shoot too, only discovering that his gun was emptied beforehand by Blondie]].

* BrokenBase: the numerous changes made to the movie over the years tend to breed a fair bit of debate.