Webthe good, the bad and the ugly’s effect can still be felt in films released today. Web“the good, the bad and the ugly” has only the thinnest of plots: Three criminals are searching for a gold shipment during the civil war. But the plot hardly matters, because. Webthe good, the bad and the ugly, shorn of nearly 20 minutes for its original american release, is surely one of the most compelling validations of the western.