Mexican standoff 1966 Western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", where the titular characters played by Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach face each other at gunpoint. Director John Woo, considered a major influence on the action genre, is known for his highly chaotic action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and frequent use of slow motion. Director Quentin Tarantino (who has cited Woo as an influence) has featured Mexican standoff scenes in his films like "Pulp Fiction" (restaurant sequence); "Inglourious Basterds" (the tavern scene features multiple Mexican standoffs including meta-discussion); and the climactic scene of "Reservoir Dogs", which depicts a standoff
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (theme) film. This instrumental composition plays at the beginning of the film. Largely due to the memorable quality of the main theme, the film's soundtrack peaked at #4 on the "Billboard" 200 album chart, and it stayed on this chart for over a year. Hugo Montenegro was an American composer and orchestra leader who began scoring films in the 1960s. After hearing the music from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", he decided to create a cover version of the theme. Musician Tommy Morgan is quoted in Wesley Hyatt's "The Billboard Book of#1 Adult Contemporary Hits" as saying that Montenegro's