A Fistful of Dollars
1964 | Not Rated | Action, Western | d. Sergio Leone
Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volonté
Using a screenplay borrowed from a classic Japanese film, Yojimbo, Italian director Sergio Leone turned the entire western film genre on its ear with his ironic, violent, and often darkly humorous version of the old west. In his first of three pairings with new-comer Clint Eastwood, Leone offers a fiery and smart bounty hunter (Eastwood) who works both sides of an ongoing feud between two families in a dusty desert town (look for an El Paso mention). Sharply directed, and with a soundtrack that still resonates 50 years later, Fistful remains one of the best of the nearly 700 ‘spaghetti’ westerns ever made. - JB
Following a string of bit parts and TV roles, Clint Eastwood established both his movie stardom and role as Western icon in the first of three classic collaborations with Sergio Leone. Leone's emphasis on faces over voices (apart from Eastwood, different actors redubbed the parts in post) comes through with colorful villains and close-ups lingering on every crag. The landscape is treated the same way, the dust, dirt buildings, and blood presented in an unromantic manner/ Though El Paso is only mentioned here, it would be the main setting for Leone's follow-up, For a Few Dollars More. - AL