The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) is an Italian epic spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone. Set in 1862 during the Civil War in the American Southwest, three bounty-hunters ambush Mexican bandit Tuco Ramirez. Tuco manages to escape after shooting them all. Meanwhile, mercenary ‘Angel Eyes’ interrogates former Confederate soldier Stevens for information on a stolen cache of Confederate gold. After receiving a bribe and killing Stevens, Angel Eyes becomes intrigued by the gold and kills his own employer. In need of help, Tuco is rescued by an unnamed drifter, who he affectionately calls ‘Blondie’. Blondie collects a $2,000 bounty for turning Tuco over to a sheriff, but sets him free when he is about to be hanged. The two men continue this pattern in different towns until Blondie becomes tired of Tuco’s complaints and leaves him stranded in the desert.

Determined for vengeance, Tuco and his gang had failed in their first attempt. But now, he has caught up with Blondie and forces him to trek through the desert until he collapses from thirst. In a stroke of luck, an abandoned ambulance full of dead Confederate soldiers and a barely alive Bill Carson appears. Desperate for help, Carson offers Tuco $200,000 in buried gold located in Sad Hill Cemetery. However, when Tuco returns with water, Carson has passed away. Before his final breath, he reveals the name on the grave to Blondie. Putting their animosity aside, the two join forces since Tuco only knows the cemetery’s name while Blondie knows which grave to unearth. Pretending to be a Confederate soldier, Tuco brings Blondie to a nearby mission for recovery.