Per un pugno di dollari (1964)

Succeeded by: Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)

	Directed by: Sergio Leone	AKA A Fistful of Dollars COUNTRY Italy/Spain/West Germany GENRE Western NORWEGIAN TITLE For en neve dollar RUNNING TIME 123 minutes
	Produced by: Arrigo Colombo Giorgio Papi
	Written by (based on Yojimbo by A. Kurosawa and R. Kikushima): Víctor Andrés Catena Jaime Comas Gil Sergio Leone

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Joe	Clint Eastwood	½
Marisol	Marianne Koch	½
Ramón Rojo	Gian Maria Volonté
John Baxter	Wolfgang Lukschy	½
Esteban Rojo	Sieghardt Rupp
Piripero	Joseph Egger	½
Don Miguel Rojo	Antonio Prieto
Silvanito	José Calvo	½

Review

The first entry in Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy, and the inaugural internationally released spaghetti western, finds Clint Eastwood riding into the small Mexican town of San Miguel to calmly evoke chaos and disorder by aggravating the two rivalling criminal families running the town. Based on Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Leone's film has a pulp yet clever and engaging script. It combines the simple mentality of the classic studio westerns with a far less noble morality. Eastwood's seemingly unmotivated, nihilistic protagonist established – if not created – the anti-hero. He is arrogant and narcissistic, but in a sexy, dangerous manner. As much as Per un pugno di dollari made Eastwood a superstar, it was Clint himself, through his characteristic mannerisms and laconic, aloof way of communicating, that fuelled the superstardom.

Still, it was Leone's vision and distinct style that elevated the spaghetti western into something transcending Americana worship. Starting off somewhat tamely and unremarkably, Per un pugno di dollari initially suffers from a noticeable language barrier and modest resources, resulting in some unimpressive takes and cuts. However, as the film progresses, it gradually gets into its stride and Leone becomes increasingly confident and audacious. Towards the end, his themes are amusingly larger than life, his sets look ever wider and more daunting, and Clint is filmed in a godly, majestic manner as he appears out of a cloud of dust sporting his secretive, fashionable poncho. The finale is brilliant; Leone narrates with his camera, deploying extreme close-ups and creative camera movement. Like Tarantino would do thirty years later, Leone shoots violence with elegance and panache, making his film strikingly attractive and stylistically groundbreaking.