A Fistful of Dollars

3.8

(2.6K)

Western

1964

99 min

The Man With No Name enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers and sheriff John Baxter. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold intended to pay for new weapons is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, the stranger inserts himself into the middle of the long-simmering battle, selling false information to both sides for his own benefit.

Starring:

Western

Outlaw Western

8/10

91%

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Community ReviewsSee all

"A great Western, topped off by a simple yet effective climax. I can totally see (like SHANE) how this has proven to be massively influential. I’m particularly impressed by the gritty cinematography as well as the score (by the legendary Ennio Morricone). One particularly noteworthy aspect of the score is the manner with which it takes a whole new life of it’s own, essentially becoming a character of the movie. Clint Eastwood is so perfectly cast as the mysterious gunslinger. Highly recommended."

Aditya

"The classic spaghetti western based on the samurai film Yojimbo. Clint Eastwood plays the man with no name ("TMWNN"), here liberating the town of San Miguel from rival criminal families, the Rojos and the Baxters, by stoking their rivalry into a feud, playing the two sides against each other. I give it 5 boilerplate vests out of 5. The original Italian title literally translates to "For a Fistful of Dollars," which is much more fitting, as that's all the TMWNN gains for his trouble SPOILER ALERT before giving it all away to a family mercilessly terrorized by the Rojos, after freeing the wife from sexual servitude, and the husband and son from probable death. He is then captured and tortured before he escapes and wipes the remaining Rojos off the face of the earth in what is now an iconic showdown of the genre. The cinematography is beautifully ugly. That is to say, it captures the barrenness of the desert town remarkably well, along with the heat and griminess, and the oppression of living in a town run by murderers, where the sheriff himself is a member of one of the crime families. Everything looks dirty, and everyone looks dirty and sweaty. Colors are included for contrast only. Everything else is brown or grey. The action is incredible, and was scandalous, for the time. The tablespoons of blood that we see on-screen were unheard of in westerns at the time. And TMWNN's monetary motivation made it all the more horrific to audiences. This is a foundational western, and STILL absolutely amazing to watch."

Brandon Reed

"One of the best western movies of its time "

Brad Desaulniers

"This film is an absolute classic piece of cinema. From start to finish the music and pacing is amazingly created and keeps you entertained. Also the start to many interesting and unique ideas."