How bad was he compared to Tuco and Blondie? How does he stack up against other Leone villians? Let's take a look...
Angel Eyes only kill 3 people in the entire film.
"When I'm paid, I always follow my job through"
First of all, Angel Eyes kills Stevens and Baker, because he was paid to (see quote above!). So really he was just doing his job, right? His third kill, the teenager with a rifle? Self defense!
Now what of the so called "Good" and "Ugly"...
Kills 10.
Tuco Kills 6.
Now let's take a look at the other Leone villians
Ramon RojoKills 29. TWENTY NINE!
Most of these were the Rio Bravo massacure or the murder of the Baxters. This guy was seriously bad!
IndioKills 6.
This seems like a suprisingly low number, but one should also consider all the deaths he was responsible for in which he did not pull the trigger (Mortimer's sister's suicide, the farmer's wife and infant son).
FrankKills 5.
Henry Fonda shoots a little boy after murdering his entire family. Let's also not forget his sadistic way of killing Harmonica's brother!
Am I defending Angel Eyes? Well not really... just offering some "Bad" perspective!
Oh and one last Leone kill statistic...
Mortimer kills 6, double that of Angel Eyes!
Interesting Aaron. I never really thought about it before but you're right. I guess Angel Eyes just had an evil heart compared to Blondie and Tuco. The commentary channel on the "restored" English version DVD says Angel Eyes is one of the most implacable & evil characters in screen history. He shows NO remorse & is only concerned with greed & getting the job done. But one could say the same for Blondie and Tuco? Probably but those characters show a lighter, more humane side in the film.
ReplyDeleteI like what Frank (Henry Fonda), which is a very similar character (even has the same kind of hat) in Once Upon A Time in the West when he is scolded for killing those he was sent to scare. "People scare more when they are dying".
Good thoughts on Angel Eyes, he just did what he did because he was paid, no concern for others, there are people like that and he carried that character out very well.
ReplyDeleteStill love that movie *sigh!
Lee Van Cleef's performance, personality and reptilian manner--along with Leone's direction--are what make Angel Eyes so chilling and so much worse. Don't forget the Torture Tuco scene! "Like a little music with your meal, Tuco?" He insinuates his evil so nicely.
ReplyDelete"How's your digestion now?"
DeleteExcellent observation! Maybe it worked out that way because origninally the Bad and the Ugly were reversed - the title was The Good, The Ugly and the Bad but somehow it got switched - but if it had remained true, Sentenza (VanCleef) just ugly! HAH!
ReplyDeleteWould have liked to see LVC in Fonda's part. Lee had a fabulous face that he used to portray any emotion needed. His beautiful face when he looks down at the returned watch is classic. No one wore black better!
ReplyDeleteI can't stand henry fonda, and found his portrayal of Frank completely one note. I kept thinking how much better LVC would have been in the part and I would have been interested to see how he would have played Frank in a way that would have differentiated him from Angel Eyes.
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