A Fistful of Dollars – Per un pugno di dollari (1964)

Directed by: Sergio Leone | 97 minutes | western | Actors: Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volonté, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, Antonio Prieto, José Calvo, Margarita Lozano, Daniel Martin, Benito Stefanelli, Mario Brega, Bruno Carotenuto, Aldo Sambrell

Traditional Westerns were dying out in America when director Sergio Leone came up with the innovative Western “A Fistful Of Dollars” (Per un pugno di dollari). In the 1950s, the western genre still represented a third of film production in America. In the 1960s this was only nine percent. Leone breathed new life into the traditional Western with this first installment of the so-called “Man Without a Name” trilogy (which includes “For A Few Dollars More” and “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly”). A series of films that made Leone world famous and established Clint Eastwood’s name as a full-fledged action hero forever.

Clint Eastwood is also the main reason “A Fistful of Dollars” is so enjoyable. With his characteristic poncho, his calm, confident demeanor, and his piercing gaze, he has become the personification of “cool”; the mysterious loner and outsider who turns out to have unexpected powers.

When Eastwood enters the Mexican town of San Miguel, he is humiliated by a group of bandits. They shoot near his mule, causing it to startle and run wild. Moments later, after first establishing a business advantage, Eastwood’s character takes revenge in a way that is characteristic of him. As he walks towards the bandits to the sounds of Ennio Morricone’s unmistakable music, he passes the gravedigger, which he casually tells: “Prepare three chests”. Then he addresses the three bandits, plus a fourth who has joined them, and kindly asks them to apologize to his mule. When the men start laughing, Eastwood suddenly becomes serious. He slings his poncho over his shoulder, revealing his revolver. Eastwood, in close-up, now looks stern and declares that it is not nice to laugh and that his mule does not appreciate it. The men realize they’re serious and we see their hands go to their revolvers in close-ups. The outcome can be guessed. On the way back past the gravedigger, Eastwood says, “My mistake, four chests.”

This scene is almost enough as a recommendation for the movie. It immediately captures Eastwood’s character, and actually immediately captures the approach and atmosphere of the entire “man without a name” trilogy by Sergio Leone. Both in terms of content, as the predecessor of the “heroic bloodshed” genre, in which the hero is actually an anti-hero and therefore not easy to interpret morally, and stylistically (the characteristic cinematography and music), the scene sets the tone.

The story is an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s samurai film “Yoyimbo”, about an outsider who sows unrest between two rival gangs. Leone has replaced swords with firearms, which makes for a slightly different dynamic as it requires larger spaces. Thus, for example, a ruse takes place in a nearby graveyard. A ruse that seems somewhat unbelievable because of the stupidity of the gang leaders. The same goes for the iconic final scene of the film, in which Eastwood uses a piece of iron as a bulletproof vest (a scene referenced in “Back to the Future, part III”). Some minor characters are also somewhat clumsy or inconsistent in their actions (such as the inn owner, who acts as Eastwood’s sidekick).

Despite this, it is certainly an entertaining film, with the story not being particularly interesting, but providing just enough foundation for the magic of Eastwood, Leone, and Morricone. Leone makes optimal use of the widescreen format, and thanks to the Italian invention of techniscope in 1960 he was also able to use depth focus in this format. Morricone, while not his best work, has delivered recognizable and memorable music. And Eastwood made a good name for himself in his role as “man with no name” (although he is referred to as “Joe” by the gravedigger a few times in the film). Although they would later make the more complex, more epic, and simply superior “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”, they also left their indelible mark on this film.