A Fistful Of Dollars
"First-class western bravado!" - The New York Times
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 shoot-outs, dynamic performances and atmospheric cinematography, it's an undisputed classic of the genre.
A mysterious gunman 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 jobs... and sets in motion a plan to destroy both groups of criminals, pitting one against the other in a series of brilliantly orchestrated set-ups, showdowns and deadly confrontations.
Member Reviews
A Fistful of Dollars - Derekstar
I adored Yojimbo so much, A Fistful of Dollars kind of pains me to watch. Some things make a lot less sense here. We understand why the wandering Samurai has this altruistic need to help the town, but why the wandering gunslinger? Wouldn't he want to keep the money? It doesn't make much sense. Clint Eastwood loses the ability to shoot straight because someone steps on his left hand? Huh? In Yojimbo, Mifune recovering in the temple whilst knifing a leaf makes so much more sense. Also, DUBBING???One of the Best Westerns - Mookie
I am coming late to the game to Sergio Leone's trilogy with Clint Eastwood. Just saw The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and I'll go on record as saying I liked this more. While the other had more weight to it and was a better "film" this one was more streamlined and has more entertainment value. What made my jaw drop is that it is an almost direct steal from Kurosawa's Yojimbo. I guess most film experts know this but I didn't going in so it was fascinating to see the same story and plot points unfold before my eyes. While I loved Yojimbo (Kurosawa's films are a must see for any film fan) I have to admit Leone fixed some of the flaws in that film (flaws to someone who is used to a Western style of story)and I think this version flows better than the original while keeping all of the main ideas and plot points from Yojimbo. And of course some new ideas were added because guns instead of swords were being used.
Overall, a must see for a Western fan, Eastwood fan or a movie fan.The film that revolutionized the western genre - Opinheimer
In 1964, a little known Italian director by the name of Sergio Leone released this low budget "spaghetti" western which became an instant worldwide sensation and launched Clint Eastwood into not just the realm of superstardom, but also cemented him as the pop culture icon that he remains to this day.
After decades of dominating the genre, the countless westerns cranked out by Hollywood every year had become stale and predictable. A Fistful Of Dollars smashed all the cliches. Instead of an idealized, even romanticized, portrayal of the west with clearly defined characters, this film brought a gritty realism and morally ambiguous characters to its approach, devoid of the phony sentimentality and tacked-on romantic sub-plots that plagued many of even the finest Hollywood westerns.
The dark tone and atmospheric, perhaps even operatic aura of this film and the ones to follow are almost hypnotic. Dialogue is sparse, letting the visuals do a great deal of the storytelling, and in this regard the actors chosen could hardly have been better.
Member Reviews
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A Fistful of Dollars - Derekstar
I adored Yojimbo so much, A Fistful of Dollars kind of pains me to watch. Some things make a lot less sense here. We understand why the wandering Samurai has this altruistic need to help the town, but why the wandering gunslinger? Wouldn't he want to keep ...One of the Best Westerns - Mookie
I am coming late to the game to Sergio Leone's trilogy with Clint Eastwood. Just saw The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and I'll go on record as saying I liked this more. While the other had more weight to it and was a better "film" this one was more streamlined ...The film that revolutionized the western genre - Opinheimer
In 1964, a little known Italian director by the name of Sergio Leone released this low budget "spaghetti" western which became an instant worldwide sensation and launched Clint Eastwood into not just the realm of superstardom, but also cemented him as the ...