The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Release date: December 29, 1967

The Pitch:

Three desperados pursue a hidden cache of Confederate gold in one of the best damn Westerns of all time.

Why You Need It:

This film is a classic, and every aspect of it is pretty much flawless - from Italian master Sergio Leone's bloody, visceral direction, to Ennio Morricone's haunting score, to the career-making performance of Clint Eastwood as Blondie. When three lawless hombres form a shaky alliance, you just know that things are going to fall apart, and the movie's five-minute Mexican standoff is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history in a film that's chock full of iconic scenes. Truly Leone's masterpiece, and it only gets better with age.

Talent:

Sergio Leone (director), Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffre, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Claudio Scarchilli.