A mysterious man enters the desolate town of San Miguel hearing of a gang war between two factions: the Rojos and the Baxters. Seizing an opportunity for himself, he decides to play both sides against one another in pursuit of personal wealth. Along the way, he uncovers a plot by the Rojos to steal a haul of Mexican gold from a baggage train. He also discovers the Rojos have kidnapped a mother and kept her from her family. A dangerous situation indeed for the Man With No Name, how will he reconcile these new developments?
The story of
A Fistful of Dollars starts with its director: Sergio Leone. Sergio Leone was born in Rome on January 3rd, 1929. During his youth, he grew up during the rise of Fascism in Europe and the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini. Leone’s father, Italian director Roberto Roberti, influenced the young Sergio into entering the film industry himself. Leone became involved in filmmaking at the age of 18, dropping out of college to do so. His early involvement in filming included such films as
Ben-Hur and
Quo Vadis. By the time he would direct
A Fistful of Dollars, he had several years of filmmaking under his belt and was experienced at making films for low budgets.
Many people point to
A Fistful of Dollars as the first “Spaghetti Western”, though this isn’t true as Italian Westerns dated as far back as the 1910s (Leone’s father having directed a few), Sergio Leone’s take on the Western, however, became the de facto epitome of the genre. Westerns in the post-war were extremely popular not just in the United States, but also in Italy especially; the wartorn environment of the Italian nation required escapism for the survivors of World War II. Westerns during the 1940s and 50s were mostly clean-cut affairs with straight-laced heroes and pretty cut and dry villains. Leone wanted to redefine the Western as, by 1964, the genre had become stagnant and complacent. Instead of black-and-white morality, Leone used morally ambiguous protagonists in a dark and depressing world; a wasteland of hate and violence consuming innocent people while hardened killers are the true champions of justice. It can be considered that while Classical American Westerns are a romanticized version of the “Wild West”, the Spaghetti Western is a more dystopic view of the “Wild West”, where law and order have been abandoned so that the strong may harm the weak.
A Fistful of Dollars is also notable for borrowing heavily from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 masterpiece
Yojimbo; this was not lost on Kurosawa after the film’s release, who legally vied for royalties on
A Fistful of Dollars. Indeed, both films share exceedingly similar plots, mysterious men wandering into a town and causing a dust-up between two factions while playing them for fools. This wouldn’t be the first time that Kurosawa’s films had been remade for Western audiences; perhaps his most famous film,
Seven Samurai, is best known to audiences in the West for its spiritual remake:
The Magnificent Seven.
For the casting choice of The Man With No Name, Leone selected young American actor Clint Eastwood to star. This would be Eastwood’s first starring role, and it would prove to be massively favorable for Eastwood’s career, spearheading him to become one of Hollywood’s acting and directorial giants. The acting is tight from Eastwood and his charismatic mystery to the character adds to the charm of the film. He plays the character like someone who is intelligent but tries to downplay it. The main antagonist, played by Gian Maria Volonte, is a straight sadistic psychopath who utilizes his charisma to domineer his brothers and the town through utter violence. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the Baxters, while also a gang, are nominally more likable because of the clear-cut differences between the gangs. The Rojos are a cartel, more or less; they are chaotic and ambitious. The Baxters are very much akin to a mafia, organized and operating under their own codes. Perhaps one of the most interesting characters in the film is Consuelo Baxter, the de facto Godmother of the Baxters. The actress playing her (Margherita Lozano), plays the character very intelligently and subtly hints that she knows exactly what Clint Eastwood’s character is doing in one particular scene.
Practical effects were used entirely for its action scenes; with controlled explosions and very kinetic action. Leone’s cinematographer Massimo Dallamano used quick shots and kept the camera close to the characters. Leone intended for close-up shots to convey the emotions of each character, which perhaps was a staple of his work. The camera-work nonetheless would not be up to snuff of Leone’s later cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli. Of all of Leone’s Western films,
A Fistful of Dollars perhaps used the most camera cuts and edits. Leone hadn’t quite perfected what he wanted and it shows here.
The music of
A Fistful of Dollars is perhaps the most notable piece that ties the whole product together. The musical score is composed by the legendary Ennio Morricone, a long-time friend of Sergio Leone dating back to their school days. Morricone began his career as a musician in the 1950s but became a composer proper in 1960. By 1964, he had several films under his belt;
A Fistful of Dollars would however be the film to put Ennio Morricone on the world stage. The music is a simple but catchy mix of classical and country. Morricone’s music has flair and style to it with vocal chants, acoustic and electric guitars, and tubular bells, and even an ocarina. It is the ever-present “Ennio Style” as I like to call it.
A Fistful of Dollars was released in Italy on September 12, 1964; its budget was reported at $200,000. The international box office took in about $18.875 million dollars internationally. Overall,
A Fistful of Dollars is a fun Spaghetti Western well worth watching to see Clint Eastwood’s first starring performance, Sergio Leone’s breakout film, and of course for Ennio Morricone’s music. My favorite scene is perhaps the finale, though I won’t spoil what it entails. The movie comes with my stamp of recommendation.
Favorite Line: “Baxter’s over there, Rojo’s over there, and me right smack in the middle.”
Rating: 8/10
