Movie #130 - A Fistful of Dollars

"This short cigar belongs to a man with no name. This long gun belongs to a man with no name. This poncho belongs to a man with no name. He's going to trigger a whole new style in adventure."

One of the quintessential Western movies of all time, A Fistful of Dollars introduces us to not only one of the greatest characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood, but probably one of the better set of films from this genre. Included in this Man with No Name trilogy are For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

What makes this film great is the contrast between the Eastwood character and Gian Maria Volonte (Ramon Rojo). Volonte is a villain in two of the three trilogy films and his great performances is what drives us to root for the protagonist in the end.

In fact, the Eastwood character in all three films isn't entirely good, he just has an ideal moral standard that he lives by, but in the end, he's either a bounty hunter or a petty thug in most cases. However, in the West, having a moral standard is quite rare, hence the character is compelling.

You can obviously tell that I am quite biased to these films. In a prior post, I believe I claimed that For A Few Dollars More is the best of the three films. I think its the tandem of Lee Van Cleef with Eastwood opposite Volonte that makes that film work.

Sergio Leone does some masterful work in this trilogy. Leone was definitely the king of the "spaghetti westerns" and its unfortunate that he didn't do many other films for U.S. release. However, this lack of exposure probably led to the cult status that has followed the Man with No Name trilogy. Had Leone done more films in this genre, I think he'd do just fine with the quality of work and the cinematography used for his films.

In the end, A Fistful of Dollars is a delight to watch and you'll just be sucked into the machismo that it exudes. As a suggestion, seek out the Japanese film Yojimbo (1961), which is what the story of this film is based on. If you don't want to go back that far, seek out Last Man Standing (1996) starring Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken. Its the exact same film with an updated cast and plot, but same concept. However, you'll like Leone's rendition of this story - its the most entertaining.

Movie #34 - For a Few Dollars More

"The man with no name is back... The man in black is waiting! As if one wasn't enough . . . as if death needed a double!"

This is by far my favourite of the "Man with No Name" trilogy. Many mainstream movie goers are loyal to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," (GBU) mainly because of the famous score of the film, however, I am a big fan of the 2nd installment of these classic films.

Sergio Leone really did a number with this storyline. Not only does Clint Eastwood reprise his role, the casting of Lee Van Cleef as Col. Douglas Mortimer is fantastic. Pairing Van Cleef and Eastwood as competing bounty hunters really brings out the intensity of this film. Both are trying to find El Indio or Indio for short (played by the cult villain Gian Maria Volonte) - for different reasons - money and revenge.

The score of this film is actually much better than the GBU film as it has a real meaning and purpose, which drives the Van Cleef character to the last showdown in the film. Still, by far the best "fast draw" scenes of all of Western films, and yes... I open myself up to scrutiny with that comment.

Volonte reprises his villainous role in this film and is a strong persona to pit against the team of Van Cleef and Eastwood. He pulls it off wonderfully and in the end becomes the entertainment portion of this film with his quirks and infectious laughter of pure evil. Its a shame that Volonte never left the Italian movie industry, similar to Leone, or both could've enjoyed an array of U.S. film accolades over time. Instead, both became Spaghetti Western icons, producing just a handful of films in the mainstream, that are beloved amongst all fans.

I am quite impressed by Van Cleef's performance, one of my favourite actors. Although he wasn't much for the delivery of dialogue, his level of intensity and performance was provided by his sheer toughness and presence. He just scared you in a way that not even Chuck Norris or Bruce Lee could do - he just comes off the screen as being mean!

Leone's ability to pit good vs. evil in this film is what makes this so entertaining. Until the final moment of the movie, the audience is captivated. If you are ever to watch a "western" in your lifetime, please make sure you watch this one... you don't need to see any other movie of its kind.