The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 15, 2025

So, anyhoo, has anyone here heard anything about previous versions of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on 1080 and/or 4K disc? Like, were there ever any controversies or anything? Of course the foregoing is said with tongue hopefully pretty obviously planted firmly in cheek (with no nearby cigar, since I don't smoke), but after a bit of a delay the much awaited Arrow release of this film is finally available in both 1080 and 4K editions. Specifics will be gotten into below, but technical merits are excellent and as usual Arrow has aggregated a frankly gobsmacking array of both on disc and "extracurricular" supplements.

As alluded to above, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has had a veritable glut of releases in both 1080 and 4K editions through the years, many (most? all?) of which have generated some controversy. Enterprising aficionados (and/or potential doctoral candidates in search of a thesis) therefore have several reviews of previous releases that they can parse as they choose:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Blu-ray review is Casey Broadwater's take on the 1080 release from MGM in 2009

The Man with No Name Trilogy Blu-ray review is Michael Reuben's take on the 1080 release of the trilogy by Metro Goldwyn Mayer in 2014

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Blu-ray review is Brian Orndorf's take on the 1080 release from Kino Lorber in 2014

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Blu-ray review is Brian Orndorf's take on the 1080 release from Kino Lorber in 2017

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu- ray review is Svet Atanasov's take on the combo 2160 / 1080 release from Kino Lorber in 2021

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 disc, I am offering screenshots from Arrow's standalone 1080 release as I think it actually provides a better representation of the look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. (I might jokingly add there's already been enough debate about the color timing of various releases without the weirdnesses introduced by screenshots downscaling from HDR.) Because this release does not include a 1080 disc, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 2.35:1. The beautiful perfect bound booklet included with this release has quite a bit of information on the presentation:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ( Il buon, il brutto, il cattivo) has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 in both its International and Extended Cuts. The soundtrack is presented in restored English mono, as well as remixed English 5.1 audio, for both versions.

The original 35mm 2-perf Techniscope camera negative was scanned and restored in 4K /16 bit resoltuion at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The film was further restored and colour graded in SDR, HDR10 and Dolby Vision at Silver Salt Restoration, London.

The original film and audio materials sourced for this new restoration were made available from Produzioni Europee Associati (P.E.A.). Materials were delivered by the Cineteca di Bologna and L'Immagine Ritrovata, Blogna.

Additional English picture and audio materials were made available from Amazon / MGM Studios.

Portions of an original 35mm exhibition print were scanned in 4K by the Cineteca Nazionale, Rome for sequences missing from the original negative.

A 35mm Imbibition Technicolor print was sourced from The Cinema Museum, London, for colour reference.

Additional film and video reference materials were supplied from the collections of Benji Heran and JOrdan Krug. Arrow Video wishes to thank Benji, Jordan, Devan Scott and Willa Ross for their help and guidance during this project.

Principal audio restoration on the original mono tracks was completed by Bad Princess Productions. Additional 5.1 audio restoration work was completed by Þorsteinn Gíslason.

Considering the tortured history of this title, it might be best to simply cut to the chase and state that in my (probably not very humble) estimation, this is easily the best looking and sounding that this iconic film has ever been in any home media format that I've personally owned. Without going into the nooks and crannies of all the prior problems, and with an understanding of the almost Pavlovian response some videophiles have now when they see L'Immagine Ritrovata involved, I'd argue it is probably the efforts of the crew at Silver Salt Restoration that are (finally?) providing fans with a release that doesn't have any of the bizarre color timing choices of many previous releases. (Those interested may want to read my interview with the gang at Silver Salt, as they are all superbly dedicated to film preservation and high definition restoration.) While the Kino Lorber 4K release had actually rather nice suffusion, the timing could be weirdly skewed (some flesh tones almost looked orange to me at times), and all of those issues have been ameliorated in this general grading. So in this case the phrase "color correction" may be multifaceted and especially meaningful. The Dolby Vision / HDR grades add gorgeous nuance at times to all sorts of hues, and it's salient to note that the Kino Lorber release did not offer HDR of any kind. Detail levels are pretty immaculate throughout, occasionally ebbing due to extremely wide framings or in the case of the long "torture" scene in the desert, an abundance of bright light. Grain is very tightly resolved for the most part. It can occasionally look a bit on the gritty side and "colorful" depending on backgrounds, but really adds a beautifully organic texture to the viewing experience.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options. I actually recommend watching the film twice (or more) with each option, as they each have their pluses. I actually loved the focused energy of the mono track, something that can help Morricone's iconic cues sound less diffused. There's also surprising dynamic range on the mono track, something Svet mentioned as well with regard to the Kino Lorber mono offering. The 5.1 track significantly opens up both scoring and especially ambient environmental effects, while giving some added energy to the midrange and burst of LFE courtesy of gunfire. There's a very slightly boxy overly "wet" sound in evidence at times, probably more so on the mono track, that is probably simply indicative of the recording technologies of the day. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: In just one small sign of the care Arrow has taken with these supplements, note that several "minor" snippets like trailers and deleted scenes listed below were scanned in 4K and are presented here in UHD.

Disc One: International Cut (2:41:46)

• Commentary by Tim Lucas


• Trailer Gallery

German Theatrical Trailer (UHD; 6:05) comes with some prefatory information about several of the trailers.




French Theatrical Trailer (UHD; 3:28)




US Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:23)




UK Theatrical Trailer (HD: 3:01)




US TV Spots (HD; 2:21)




Radio Spot (HD; 00:36) plays to the iconic poster image.

Disc Two: Extended Cut (2:58:43)

• Commentaries

Commentary by Sir Christopher Frayling




Commentary by Richard Schickel

• Play with Uncut Torture Scene increases the film's running length to 3:00:32.


• Deleted and Alternate Scenes

Italian Opening Credits (UHD; 3:30) come with some prefatory informational text.




Il Brutto (UHD; 00:26)




Angel Eyes Arrives (Extended) (UHD; 00:37) also has some introductory informational text.




Il Cattivo (UHD; 00:23)




Il Buono (No Music) (UHD; 00:50) has introductory information.




Bones in the Desert (UHD; 2:52) has quite a bit of information at the beginning, so some may want to have their pause button handy to be able to read it all.




Original Intermission Cards (UHD; 00:46) has introductory information.




Extended Freeze Frames / Tuco's Final Line (UHD; 3:08) has introductory information.

Disc Three: Special Features

• A Circular Trilogy (HD; 19:00) offers Fabio Melelli discussing how this film might be perceived as a sort of prequel. Subtitled in English.


• The Laughter Behind the Epic (HD; 28:35) is an interview with academic and screenwriter Giacomo Scarpelli, son of co-writer Furio Scarpelli. Subtitled in English.


• Three Colors (HD; 22:21) is an interview with writer Stefano Delli Colli, son of cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli. Subtitled in English.


• Sergio and Sergio (HD; 27:01) is an interview with camera assistant Sergio Salvati. Subtitled in English.


• The Hand That Drew the West (HD; 5:41) is an interview with Giuditta Simi, daughter of set and costume designer Carlo Simi. Subtitled in English.


• They Called Him Angel Eyes (HD; 11:44) is an interview with Lee Van Cleef biographer Mike Malloy.


• From Falls to Fame (HD; 13:33) is an interview with stuntman (yea, yeah, and actor) Fabio Testi. Subtitled in English.


• The Man, the Cut, the Masterpiece (HD; 28:12) is an interview with editor Eugenio Alabiso. Subtitled in English.


• Frames of Glory (HD; 28:23) is an interview with post production supervisor Enzo Ocone. Subtitled in English.


• That Magic Sound (HD; 7:51) is an interview with guitarist Bruno Battisti D'Amario. Subtitled in English.


• The Voice Behind the Gold (HD; 13:50) is an interview with vocalist Edda Dell'Orso. Subtitled in English.


• Call of the Coyote (HD; 28:21) is an interview with Ennio Morricone biographer Alessandro De Rosa. The sweet opening photo of Morricone may be worth the price of admission alone. Subtitled in English.


• The Good, the Great and the Moody (HD; 28:47) is another interesting visual essay by Lovely Jon exploring Morricone's music. This also gives me another opportunity to highly recommend the (admittedly not lossless) SACDs being released by the UK's Michael Dutton and his Dutton Vocalion label of Hugo Montenegro's trailblazing four channel recordings, including of course his hit versions of several Morricone themes.


• MGM Archive Extras

Leone's West (HD; 20:04)




The Leone Style (HD; 23:48)




Reconstructing the Film (HD; 11:08)




Il Maestro: Part One (HD; 7:48)




Il Maestro: Part Two (HD; 12:28)




The Socorro Sequence: A Reconstruction (HD; 3:00)




The Man Who Lost the Civil War (HD; 14:25)




Vignettes (Easter Eggs) (HD; 2:42)

• Alternate Credits Sequences

Alternate French Credits (HD; 3:34)




Alternate Spanish Credits (HD; 2:43)

• Image Galleries

GBU in Pictures Part 1 (HD; 8:56)




GBU in Pictures Part 2 (HD; 11:16)




On the Set (HD; 8:13)




Promoting GBU (HD; 9:06)

Disc Four: Sad Hill Unearthed

• Sad Hill Unearthed (HD; 1:26:35) will be a "must see" documentary for any diehard fan of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, with an ostensible focus on an iconic filming location, but really with a much more broad based look at the film and its legacy.


• Lost in the Editing Room (HD; 15:55) offers interview snippets not included in the final cut.


• The Making of the Film (HD; 16:25) is kind of a sweet piece with Guillermo de Oliveira.


• The Making of the Original Soundtrack (HD; 14:58) features Zeltia Montes.


• World Premiere (HD; 36:01) has some Q & A footage.


• Sad Hill in January 2020 (HD; 3:03)

This Limited Edition is another gorgeously packaged effort from Arrow. An O ring slipcase covers a slipbox which itself encloses the keepcase, a perfect bound collector's booklet and a double sided foldout poster. The keepcase has a reversible sleeve duplicating the two art choices of the poster. The booklet will be another field day for fans, with several really well written and informative essays.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the more indelible memories of my freshman high school year was a coach telling me and a roomful of other adolescent boys that "the anticipation may be greater than the realization" in terms of any fantasizing about impending intimacy with a girl. To segue probably incredibly inartfully, fans of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly have been anticipating this release from Arrow Video for quite some time, but in this case the realization may not only match that anticipation, but could very well exceed it. There's probably a labyrinthine doctoral thesis awaiting to be written by some enterprising Film Theory and/or Marketing student about the tumultuous history of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on both 1080 and 4K disc, a kind of maybe ultimately actually hilarious chain of misfires in various directions that have understandably left fans wondering if any at least relatively problem free edition of this film might finally be released. That day may finally have come, without any "relatively" included. Technical merits are first rate, and the supplements and packaging extremely well done. Highly recommended.