The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Good the Bad and the Ugly centers around "the money", where the three characters that represent the title of the movie are all after a stash of hidden gold, and each other's heads. Instead of muddling around with the alpha male cowboy identity, the film (in my opinion) sets up the characters to directly represent the good and the bad. BLONDIE vs. ANGEL EYES? The ugly is an interesting matter. Rarely have we seen other minorities take such a central role to the plot, and the "ugly" Mexican is an enigma himself. Another interesting point that was different from previous Westerns is that the emphasis on ability and prowess is still there, but like the chaos that is the West, so to is fortune, and it's hilarious to watch how the three manage to one-up each other due to fortuitous circumstance. This constant change of the "king of the hill" and a clear progression from Point A to Point Gold keeps the audience on its feet as everyone may have differing views as to who "should" win. I don't believe that this movie is social commentary on capitalism and chasing money, I believe that economic pressure is universal, and the way in which the director has brought this to bear on the utilitarian cowboy is amusing.