FOR ALL AGES
'The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly' is often referred to as the 'definitive Spaghetti western'.
Set during the Civil War, the film concerns a bounty hunter, a bandit, and a mercenary in search of buried treasure. These three main characters are the titular sobriquets - Tuco the Mexican bandit as 'The Ugly', Angel Eyes the merc as 'The Bad', and the unnamed bounty hunter, a.k.a Blondie, as 'The Good'.
The film is considered a part of the 'Dollars Trilogy' (with 'A Fistful of Dollars' and 'For A Few Dollars More'). The binding factor of the trilogy is the fact that they are all spaghetti westerns directed by Sergio Leone in three consecutive years. The tales are otherwise connected in almost no way, except for the unnamed protagonist - all of them played by Clint Eastwood. Together, these three films laid the foundations and definitive traits of spaghetti westerns. 'The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly' was and remains a big hit amongst the trio. Spaghetti westerns were not exactly well-received or universally liked as a genre in the '60s as they are now, but the film still managed to be a big box-office success. The fact that it is also suffused with very memorable dialogue helps. So here are some of these iconic quotes from the movie all avid fans will remember. We have some Clint Eastwood 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' quotes and also Tuco 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' quotes.
If you like this article, you may also like our Clint Eastwood movie quotes] and [cowboy quotes].
The film stars Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the the main roles. Smooth-talking is an almost inseparable trait from all of the old Hollywood depictions of cowboys. 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' is no exception to that rule, as almost the entirety of the film is quotable. But here are the top fan-favourite 'cool lines' that westerns like these are famous for.
1. "If you work for a living, why do you kill yourself working?"
- Tuco, The Ugly.
2. [When he counts Angel Eyes' men] "One, two, three, four, five, and six. Six. Perfect number. [Angel Eyes says that three is supposed to be the perfect number.] Mmm, yeah. But I've got six more bullets in my gun."
- Blondie, The Good.
3. "People with ropes around their necks don’t always hang."
- Angel-eyes, The Bad.
4. "Hey, amigo! You know you have a face beautiful enough to be worth two thousand dollars?"
- Unnamed bounty hunter.
5. "You see in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig."
- Blondie, The Good.
6. "You never had a rope around your neck. Well, I'm going to tell you something crazy. When that rope starts to pull tight, you can feel the Devil bite..."
- Tuco, The Ugly.
7. "But if you miss you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco. Nothing!"
- Tuco, The Ugly.
8. "Every gun makes its own tune."
- Blondie, The Good.
9. "You may run the risks, my friend, but I do the cutting. We cut down my percentage...liable to interfere with my aim."
- Blondie, The Good.
10. "You became a priest because you were too much of a coward to do what I do."
- Tuco, The Ugly.
11. "There are two kinds of spurs, my friend. Those that come in by the door; those that come in by the window."
- Tuco, The Ugly.
12. "Such ingratitude, after all the times I saved your life."
- Blondie, The Good.
13. "The next town is 70 miles. If you save your breath I feel a man like you can manage it. Adios."
- Blondie, The Good.
14. "[To the baker] Oh, I almost forgot. He gave me a thousand. I think his idea was that I kill you. [Both laugh] But you know the pity is when I'm paid, I always follow my job through."
- Angel Eyes, The Bad.
15. "One name is as good as another. Not wise to use your own name...Like you! I'll bet they don't call you Angel Eyes! Sergeant Angel Eyes!"
- Tuco, The Ugly.
16. "You're smart enough to know that talking won't save you."
- Angel Eyes, The Bad.
17. "[to Tuco] Our partnership is untied. Oh no, not you...you remain tied. I'll keep the money and you can have the rope."
- Blondie, The Good.
18. "[Paralleling Blondie's line from before] If you save your breath I feel a man like you can manage it. And if you don't manage it, you'll die. Only slowly, very slowly, old friend."
- Tuco, The Ugly.
As far as the tone goes, all films from the Dollars Trilogy are chock-full of grim violence and dramatic tension. But there is much scope for comic relief there. The film does not have to resort to a 'funny character' for that, as many of the lines from the raggedy trio of cowboys in the film is laced with an ever-present quiet sense of humor.
19. "[Mistaking the cavalry for confederates] Hurrah! Down with General Grant! Hurrah for General... what's his name?"
- Tuco, The Ugly.
20. "God's not on our side because he hates idiots."
- Blondie, The Good.
21. "When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."
- Tuco, The Ugly.
22. "If your friends stay out in the damp, they're liable to catch a cold aren't they...or a bullet."
- Blondie, The Good.
23. "God is with us because he hates the Yanks too!"
- Tuco, The Ugly.
24. "Put your drawers on, and take your gun off."
- Blondie, The Good.
25. "The way I figure, there's really not too much future with a sawed-off runt like you."
- Blondie, The Good.
26. "What would happen if somebody were to blow up that bridge?"
- Blondie, The Good.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' quotes then why not take a look at 'All Quiet On The Western Front' quotes, or Alfred Hitchcock quotes.
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