In this film the western genre changed a little, instead of having the “good” guy winning over the “bad” we had the “bad” amoral Blondie (Eastwood) represented as the “good” in comparison with the other characters, his competition. With this in mind, violence and machismo entered this period of the genre:

“Two gunmen have formed a partnership. One is a wanted man (the Ugly) and his partner (the Good) will turn him in for the reward. When the hanging takes place, Good shoots the rope clean through and allows Ugly to escape. When they have a falling out, Good leaves Ugly in the desert. Ugly vows Revenge and tracks Good down and repeats the favor. Just before passing out, a dying man gives Good the secret of a hidden payroll. Both of them end up in a Union Prisoner of War camp run by a sadistic Union officer (The Bad) who discovers their secret and wants the treasure, taking them from the camp to find the cash.” (Excerpt from IMDB).

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