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A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Dir: Sergio Leone
Cast: Clint Eastward, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volonte, Wolfgang Lukschy
Summary
An unnamed drifter/gunslinger arrives in a small Mexican town, within the middle of a battle between two rival families. He sees this as an opportunity to make a fist full of dollars and play both sides off against each other.
Synopsis.
A stranger arrives in a small Mexican town, where the innkeeper informs him that the town is in the middle of a rivalry between the family of the local sheriff, John Baxter and the Rojo brothers. He decides this an opportunity to make money.
When Mexican soldiers are transporting gold past the village to America troops near the border, the Stranger follows and witnesses their murders by members of the Rojo Family.
The stranger moves 2 of the bodies and sells information to both families that two soldier survived. To set up a conflict between the two sides as one try to silence the survivors and others to have the testify against the Rojo’s. In the ensuing fight, the Rojo’s believe they have killed the survives and capture the Baxters’s son Antonio.
The stranger in the meantime is searching the Rojo house where he finds the one of the Rojo’s prisoners and unwilling mistress Marisol, who he takes to the Baxters to use in a prisoner exchange.
The stranger finds out from the innkeeper on the day of the trade that Marisol was taken from her husband because he was falsely accused of cheating at cards. The stranger then rides to rescue Marisol helping the, killing the guards and making it look as if it was an attack by a large gang. On reuniting Marisol with her family, he gives then money to leave – explaining why he is helping by saying “Why? Because I knew someone like you once. There was no one there to help. Now get moving.”
The stranger is captured and beaten by the Rojo’s because of the betrayal, but he escapes with the help of the town’s coffin maker. The Rojo’s in the meantime thinking the stranger is in the pay of the Baxters sets fire the Baxters house massacring them all; leaving the Rojo’s the only gang left in town.
While recovering from his beating the stranger finds out the Rojo have captured the innkeeper, and he, therefore, return to town to face off against the Rojo’s. With a steel plate under his poncho, the stranger taunts one of the Rojo’s to “aim for the heart” as the bullet fly off he challenges them to reload faster that he can. The stranger shoots the Rojos and with his final shot releases the innkeeper and rides off out of town.
Review
I have seen this movie on many occasions and to my shame, I was not aware that it was a remake of Yojimbo. However, it was interesting to watch the film again with fresh eyes and also almost back to back with Yojimbo.
The story is virtually identical to Yojimbo and the performance of Clint Eastwood as the Man with no name, is equal as enigmatic as that of Toshiro Mifune.
In general, there is not much to choose between the film both they are almost equal; however, what sets Fist full of dollars apart from its predecessor is the score. Enrico Morricone score is so atmospheric it drives the film along. I fit perfectly with the setting of the movie, more so than in my opinion than the score of Yojimbo – which I found a little overly dramatic and too western for the setting of the film.
Spaghetti westerns brought a look to the western that I feel was missing in the earlier days in that you can see dirty and despair. The American old west was not a bright and shiny place as depicted in the classic westerns of the 50’s – was a simple place, full of desperate and frankly not very nice people.
I would recommend this film to anyone and is a great stepping stone to towards the modern western.