Some good, even greatness (the score), but there's also some bad and ugly

This Spaghetti Western is overrated, overlong and has some slow stretches, not to mention amoral & one-dimensional characters and a story that idolizes lucre above everything; it also has campy and goofy elements, which kills any realism.

But, if you can handle all that, Eastwood is the coolest Westerner, Lee Van Cleef is the ultimate bad axx, the exceptional score by Ennio Morricone is iconic and the film pulsates with hip style (for 1966, that is). In short, there's some good in this movie, even greatness, which explains the ridiculous gushing of some; but, let's be honest, there's also some bad and ugly.