The Civil War epic, the shoot-'em-up and the social comedy are stylishly, seamlessly combined in this most transcendent of all westerns, as the three gravedigging bandits of the title pursue a stash of stolen gold. From Ennio Morricone's immortal whistled theme to the heat-blistered face of a near-dead Blondie (Clint Eastwood), every element of Sergio Leone's 1967 classic is riveting, even at its restored three-hour length.