A Fistful of Dollars launched the spaghetti Western and catapulted Clint Eastwood to stardom. Based on Akira Kurosawa's 1961 samurai picture Yojimbo, it scored a resounding success (in Italy in 1964 and the U.S. in 1967), as did its sequels, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The advertising campaign promoted Eastwood's character--laconic, amoral, dangerous--as the Man with No Name (though in the film he's clearly referred to as Joe), and audiences loved the movie's refreshing new take on the Western genre. Gone are the pieties about making the streets safe for women and children. Instead it's every man for himself. Striking, too, was a new emphasis on violence, with stylized, almost balletic gunfights and baroque touches such as Eastwood's armored breastplate. The Dollars films had a marked influence on the Hollywood Western--for example, Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch--but their most enduring legacy is Clint Eastwood himself. --Edward Buscombe
Clint Eastwood's legendary "Man With No Name" makes his powerful debut in this thrilling, action-packed "new breed of western" (Motion Picture Herald) from the acclaimed director of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and For a Few Dollars More. Exploding with blistering shootouts, dynamic performances and atmospheric cinematography, it's an undisputed classic of the genre. A mysterious gunman (Eastwood) has just arrived in San Miguel, a grim, dusty border town where two rival bands of smugglers are terrorizing the impoverished citizens. A master of the "quick-draw,"the stranger soon receives offers of employment from each gang. But his loyalty cannot be bought; he accepts both jobs...and sets in motion a plan to destroy both groups of criminals, pitting one against the other in a series of brilliantly orchestrated setups, showdowns and deadly confrontations.
"Incredibly influential and timeless Western masterpiece"
Written By: BackToGood
Retroactively, I am a huge fan of the earlier (1960s to 1980s) works involving Clint Eastwood. Either not born or too young to appreciate his films during these times, I find that a high percentage of films that he either starred and/or directed during this time period have an immense appeal and re-watchability. The film that started it all is this one A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, directed by the great Sergio Leone. Leone did Eastwood a HUGE favor having him star in his early "spaghetti" Westerns. I know that the later 2 films of the trilogy (FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE and THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY) are more universally acclaimed and considered to be "better" films (whatever that means!), but I find myself re-watching A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS much more so than the other 2.
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS is very tight and fast paced as much of this has to do with the fact that Leone was forced to make his film on a shoestring budget with relatively unknown actors (Eastwood had been only in very low budget B movies and on TV up until this point and the supporting Italian and Spanish actors certainly weren't universally known, if they were in their own countries). In retrospect, the tight budget is the best thing that could have happened as Leone did a brilliant editing job as there are no wasted moments or overly long, drawn out scenes just to show off (as there are in the sequels!). It is a simple, tightly woven tale that moves at a brisk pace.
Eastwood, as "Joe", controls the film from start to finish, with a still to this day unmatched sublime coolness and precision that no one else could have accomplished. This is one of his most confident performances (and, ironically, his first major screen role!). He displays the perfect combination of toughness, savvy, sex appeal, and sensitivity, and he does it with a minimum of dialogue! His "mule" speech preceding the initial gunfight is a perfect balance of sarcasm, humor, and cold-heartedness! In fact, there is a LOT of natural humor in the dialogue in FISTFUL.
The supporting cast is wonderful, with the standout being Gian Maria Volonte, excellent as the main villain Ramon Rojo and is a fitting primary enemy for Eastwood. The two female cast members Marianne Koch (as Marisol) and Margarito Lozano (as Consuela Baxter) are original as well. Marisol may be a victim for most of the film, but Leone manages to make her not seem just like Ramon's sex object and gives her a quiet strength and dignity. And it definitely was a rarity to see such a powerful female as Consuela Baxter ruling an all-male roost!
Leone's camerawork is impressive. One thing I notice upon repeat viewing is how the character closeup reaction shots are so perfectly timed and placed, simultaneously underscoring and accentuating the action. The editing is as much a star as Eastwood and Ennio Morricone's infectious score. This is most evident in the brilliant final showdown scene between Joe and Ramon, one for the ages; Leone imbibes this scene with snappy dialogue delivered by Eastwood, dramatic music fitting of a finale, and wonderful editing to underscore the gravity of the situation. Made on the cheap with an international cast and anchored by a future screen legend in his first major role, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS is an engrossing masterwork!
"Great western!"
Written By: Carrot Top
This is a great western movie. It's one of my favorites. A definite must-have for fans of western movies!
"Shoot 'em Up, Indeed!"
Written By: Gary Peterson
Western movies. We used to call them "shoot 'em ups" because everyone was carrying a gun and a large number of people ended up getting shot in a creative variety of ways. I'd sort of forgotten about that but last night my wife and I watched "A Fistful of Dollars," a spaghetti western staring Clint Eastwood. It was a good movie but, man, I can't even begin to add up the casualties. There were handguns, rifles, shotguns and machine guns. Bad guys, good guys, soldiers and even a woman bit the dust. A small town casket maker was the leading beneficiary of all this mayhem, except that by the end of the movie there was almost no one left in town.
In any case, the movie concerned one of those memorable Eastwood loner characters who manages to pit two rival gangs of bad guys against one another until finally Eastwood, himself, gets trapped and beaten to a pulp and barely escapes death. Not a wise move! He recovers, of course, and comes back to finish off the remainder of the bad guys, which almost included the remainder of the town. It's a good story, very well done by director Sergio Leone, if you can stand the violence. Beautiful settings and photography. Nice music. Good acting. Interesting story. Highly entertaining. If all the guns, fights, assorted violence and death bothers you, well there's always "The Sound of Music."
Gary Peterson
"The Definite Edition"
Written By: Federico Casal
I couldn't think of a better way to release this movie. The transfer is excellent, the extras are great, and the wrapping is attractive. There is a clear intention by MGM to give the treatment this fantastic film deserves.
5/5 for the product, 5/5 for the film
"Eastwood begins his apprenticeship under Sergio Leone"
Written By: Mark J. Fowler
Clint Eastwood dedicated his Oscar-winning "Unforgiven" to "Sergio and Don" - Sergio Leone and Don Siegel - and that film makes a perfect wrap to the genre of "man with no name" westerns. "Fistful of Dollars" marks the beginning of Eastwood's tutelage under Leone, and we can extrapolate that he learned well.
"Dollars" represents several other firsts - the first "spaghetti" western, filmed in Italy with a mostly Italian cast which was dubbed into English (although Eastwood of course spoke English). It's the first of the "man with no name" series, although Clint's character is called Joe several times by supporting characters such as the undertaker. To my knowledge it's also the first western where Eastwood is beaten to within an inch of his life, only to return and wreak havoc on his tormentors. (See "Pale Rider" or the previously mentioned Unforgiven.) It is also, to my knowledge, the first re-make of a Kurosawa film. (Yojimbo, in this case, with the great Toshiro Mifune in the "man with no name" part.) Word has it Kurosawa was delighted to have his films remade as westerns as the great Japanese master was influenced early in his career by John Ford's westerns.
Eastwood rolls into San Miguel, just below the Rio Grande. He is told immediately by a crazed bell-ringer that he may end up rich... or dead in San Miguel, and the bartender generously lets him have a drink on the house before advising him to leave and never return.
San Miguel, see, has two boss families - the Rojos and the Baxters. Both are on the wrong side of justice, morality, etc, but one of the Baxters wears a badge while it is acknowledged that the most fearsome man in town is Ramon Rojos, played by Gian Maria Volonte.
Set pieces and a few expositional scenes mainly with Silvanito the bartender played by Jose Calvo give you the basic story: the Baxters and Rojos fight over power to accomplish their various underhanded schemes. Eastwood's Joe shows up and quickly demonstrates that he's quicker with a pistol than anyone has ever seen. Joe plans to use his quickdraw skills to play one family against the other, hiring himself out as a mercenary and taking payments from both families.
Leone's style, familiar now, must have looked stunningly original in 1964. There are no good guys with white hats in this tale. We hear that Ramon stole another man's wife after falsely accusing him of cheating at cards, and Ramon is the kind of man no one argues with... until Eastwood shows up. Joe is the kind of man who'll shoot four men dead for being mean to his mule. The western was never the same, but it is interesting to watch the progression of the man with no name character until, in Unforgiven, he is finally the most real man yet. If I give Unforgiven 5 stars I cannot do the same to Fistful of Dollars, but it's worth the trouble.
"Incredibly influential and timeless Western masterpiece"
"Eastwood begins his apprenticeship under Sergio Leone"
