Every The Good, the Bad and the Ugly deleted scene, ranked

CBR

By Dante Santella

December 3, 2024

Among the most acclaimed westerns to ever hit the silver screen, Sergio Leone’s 1966 Italian epic spaghetti westernThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly displays ingenious filmmaking, brilliant storytelling and terrific performances. Hailed for its effective action and vast scope of the Old West, the film manages to craft a tale of battling gunslingers seeking hidden gold all while set during the American Civil War and always keeps the audience engaged. With the sheer amount of unforgettable moments throughout the film, viewers often forget that all films have scenes that get left on the cutting room floor, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

With a master like Sergio Leone, the film still maintains its integral structure and never misses a beat in entertaining the masses, although The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’s few deleted scenes help flesh out the narrative even further. Spread out before or after the film’s pivotal plot points, the deleted scenes give viewers a whole new perspective on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and within each sequence lies a fun takeaway for the audience to appreciate the film much more.

6 A Greedy Bandit Seeks a Quick Solution

Tuco Gets Directions From a Confederate Soldier

After Tuco learns about Bill Carson’s gold, the bandit races off to get medical attention for Blondie, who is the only one who can complete the puzzle of the treasure’s whereabouts. In a deleted nighttime scene, Tuco stops by a Confederate camp looking for help while both he and Blondie are in disguise. The cut sequence helps establish the Confederate side within the film and also showcases Tuco’s ability to lie at all costs.

With a lack of music, the scene effectively captures the quiet atmosphere until Tuco arrives in a hurry, where the sequence cuts between a Confederate soldier and Tuco conversing. The quick cuts to each character keep the discussion going, while the soldiers in the background add to the relaxed mood; coupled with the impressive lighting reflected from the campfire. As Tuco’s hurried pleas for medical aid are answered, with directions to a nearby missionary, the audience gets to see Tuco’s desperation and conniving mind. It is in the little moments like this scene that showcases why the film works, where the character’s unabashed selfishness and desire to find Bill Carson's gold at any cost, reveal to the audience how “Ugly” Tuco can be. The representation of Tuco’s scheming personality is perfectly captured in the scene and further solidifies him as a scoundrel.

Upon Clint Eastwood’s character Blondie recovering from dehydration, he and outlaw Tuco set course to find Bill Carson’s coveted gold. The cut scene features the duo riding off on a stagecoach and trying to chart the right path to the hidden treasure, where the purpose of the short sequence evokes a clear dynamic between the two unlikely partners. As The Good, the Bad and the Ugly previously established Blondie & Tuco’s fraught relationship, the deleted scene reintroduces them as business partners again, only with much higher stakes.

As Ennio Morricone’s iconic theme kicks off the scene, the camera frames the galloping horses on track through the open landscape before cutting back to Blondie and Tuco. The close-up shot of Tuco’s hands tracing the map symbolically brings the viewer in on the mission with two determined men. At the same time, the camera cuts to roadside carnage of both fallen Union and Confederate soldiers, thereby expressing the danger of the mission, while also shooting the conversation between Blondie & Tuco as short but layered. In a few words, Blondie and Tuco reestablish a partnership built on forced trust, where each man needs the other to find the gold. Moreover, Blondie’s sarcastic but meaningful delivery on the state of the war, highlights to audiences the meaningless violence and also displays how Clint Eastwood’s character is more than meets the eye; unlike Tuco who is only interested in himself.

4 Vengeance Can be Methodical and Viciously Cruel

Tuco Taunts Blondie in the Scorching Desert

Upon Clint Eastwood’s character Blondie recovering from dehydration, he and outlaw Tuco set course to find Bill Carson’s coveted gold. The cut scene features the duo riding off on a stagecoach and trying to chart the right path to the hidden treasure, where the purpose of the short sequence evokes a clear dynamic between the two unlikely partners. As The Good, the Bad and the Ugly previously established Blondie & Tuco’s fraught relationship, the deleted scene reintroduces them as business partners again, only with much higher stakes.

As Ennio Morricone’s iconic theme kicks off the scene, the camera frames the galloping horses on track through the open landscape before cutting back to Blondie and Tuco. The close-up shot of Tuco’s hands tracing the map symbolically brings the viewer in on the mission with two determined men. At the same time, the camera cuts to roadside carnage of both fallen Union and Confederate soldiers, thereby expressing the danger of the mission, while also shooting the conversation between Blondie & Tuco as short but layered. In a few words, Blondie and Tuco reestablish a partnership built on forced trust, where each man needs the other to find the gold. Moreover, Blondie’s sarcastic but meaningful delivery on the state of the war, highlights to audiences the meaningless violence and also displays how Clint Eastwood’s character is more than meets the eye; unlike Tuco who is only interested in himself.

4 Vengeance Can be Methodical and Viciously Cruel

Tuco Taunts Blondie in the Scorching Desert

Following Blondie’s betrayal, Tuco eventually catches up with his former partner and delivers some brutal punishment, where Tuco holds Blondie hostage and forces him to traverse the desert without water, letting the audience witness Tuco’s ruthlessness and penchant for revenge. In the deleted scene, Tuco displays absolute joy from Blondie’s despair and adds more discomfort by efficiently torturing Blondie’s will to live. Among the many scenes of action throughout the film, the cut scene displays a different kind of pointed violence.

Beginning the scene without any music lets the viewer experience the same discomfort as Blondie, where the audience gets to hear his pain as the camera follows him crawling through the sand. Moreover, the close-up shot of Blondie reaching toward a boot and the following cut to Tuco washing his feet in a bucket laughing, equally presents a piercing form of torture. With Tuco’s taunting mixed with Clint Eastwood’s look of pain, the sequence connects with the film’s other exhibitive scenes of violence. Beyond the literal visualization of torture in the scene, the final few shots also reflect a symbolic meaning of how Tuco overpowers Blondie. As Blondie crawls away from Tuco before rolling down a dune, Tuco emerges at the top of the hill from the background with Blondie up close to the camera. The framing evokes a sense of dread as Tuco represents the figure of death while Blondie is helplessly on the verge of defeat.

3 The Audience Gets to See an Antagonist’s Past

Tuco Recruits Three Bandits to Kill Blondie

Before catching up with Blondie, Tuco aims to assemble a posse of outlaws and exact revenge against the man who betrayed him. The cut scene imbues a sense of lively energy and also gives some new context to Tuco’s backstory, which is perfectly portrayed by actor Eli Wallach. With only a few key sentences, Tuco rallies his former associates and lets the audience in on who he hopes to be. Sergio Leone builds up the scene by letting Ennio Morricone’s upbeat music commence the pitch by Tuco and also frames the wide-open hideaway as a vast set for the audience to experience. The chicken that Tuco offers to his former gang serves as a sign of peace but also acts as a metaphor for wealth that Tuco promises should the gang kill Blondie, and the bandit’s mocking of boiled potatoes evokes how he has become a man of prosperity and opportunity.

At the same time, the skylight above the set with the descending ropes and close-up shots of each gang member, reveals how money drives the criminal’s lives. Lastly, the deleted scene also displays Tuco yearning for friendship and reminiscing about his old gang & brother, where Eli Wallach delivers a great display of character building for Tuco. Within the film’s abundant collection of great scenes, this deleted sequence expresses an interesting backstory for Tuco and further explains how determined the bandit is to finish Blondie once and for all.

2 A Determined Killer Learns Some New Information

Angel Eyes Goes to a Confederate Outpost

Among the trio of gunslingers searching for Bill Carson’s gold, Angel Eyes, played by actor Lee Van Cleef, receives his own deleted scene, which also helps establish the Confederate side within the film. Arriving at a Confederate outpost, Angel Eyes views the carnage around him while trying to get answers about Bill Carson. The cut scene is a beautiful display of cinematography and also highlights the effects of war plaguing the soldiers throughout the film.

Taking Ennio Morricone’s score into account, the scene maneuvers as a showcase for the wounded soldiers and also reveals the expansive set. Following Angel Eyes, the camera frames the villain emerging from the darkness as he sees the surrounding destruction, while panning around his head; until the hired gun walks through the fortress and interacts with the wounded soldiers. By speaking with the Captain, Angel Eyes learns of a Union base and sets off to infiltrate the prison, which viewers later see in the film. As Sergio Leone constructs the scene to reveal the true nature of war, audiences get to marvel at the camerawork, while also feeling dismayed by the ongoing conflict. Being a clear master of his craft, Sergio Leone can say so much in just a few minutes and gets to pull out more material from his characters without using long exposition in the process.

1 The Good Is Always Ready for a Fight

Blondie Kills Angel Eyes’ Henchmen While Camping

Etching closer to the final act of the film, this deleted scene features all the main characters and highlights where each one is headed regarding Bill Carson’s gold. With Tuco being forced onto a prison train while Blondie and Angel Eyes leave together to find the treasure, the cut scene also reveals a dynamic between Blondie & Angel Eyes that mirrors the final duel. Framing Blondie as the quickest shooter among the three leads gives the deleted sequence cache for foreshadowing Angel Eyes’ fate.

After Tuco gets taken away on a Union train, the scene fades to Angel Eyes sleeping by a campfire near a resting Blondie, with both men’s guns at the ready. The scene then quickly devolves when a rustling noise occurs, where a quick cut to Blondie shooting and killing a man in the distance surprises Angel Eyes. The scene then follows Angel Eyes’ men emerging from hiding, where Blondie warns the outfit to stay away from him; while also revealing that his gun has six bullets. Lastly, the cut scene ends with multiple shots of each man’s face as Blondie surmises that he has a bullet waiting for each man. By letting the deleted sequence build, Sergio Leone positions the action to its natural conclusion and also frames Clint Eastwood as the true action star that he is. Moreover, the cut scene also gives the audience an indication as to who will ultimately claim Bill Carson’s gold, as Blondie has managed to outmaneuver almost every obstacle thrown his way during The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.