Retro Film Review: For a Few Dollars More (1965)

(source:tmdb.org)

(SPECIAL NOTE: This text was originally supposed to be posted few months ago as part of Retro Film Review series. It is posted under old title in order to separate it from the recent film reviews.)

Some Star Wars fans might disagree, but film trilogies tend not to get better with each passing segment. It is quite understandable, because now we know that the second sequel of a film, or the second part of a trilogy, usually turns out worse than its predecessor. Even if the second film somehow escapes that doom, the final film of the trilogy is almost always the disappointment (Star Wars and Mad Max are the best examples). Some thirty-five years ago, an exception to that rule happened in the form of the Man With No Name trilogy, a series of three spaghetti westerns directed by the great Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. The third and final film in the trilogy, The Good, the Bad and The Ugly, is often considered a true masterpiece, one of the best films ever made, while the first, A Fistful of Dollars, although the most copied, is often considered to be only the embryonic shadow of its sequels. The second in the series, For a Few Dollars More, made in 1965, is the least talked about, although it represents not just an obvious improvement for the series, but also an excellent western in its own right.

The plot of For a Few Dollars More is set in the New Mexico Territory in the latter decades of the 19th century, in a time when the land is at the mercy of vicious bandits. As the prologue tells us, "when life has no value, death sometimes has its price", and the bounty killers are there to do the dirty work for the weak forces of the law. One of them is Colonel Douglas Mortimer (played by Lee Van Cleef), an excellent shot and former war hero, now reduced to tracking and killing wanted fugitives for a living. The other is Manko (played by Clint Eastwood), younger and somewhat less experienced, but equally deadly with a gun. The two of them often share a hunting area, but never the same prey. Such a thing would happen when Indio (played by Gian Maria Volonté), leader of a vicious gang of bandits and a sadistic killer, escapes from prison with the help of his cohorts and thus becomes the most wanted (and potentially most lucrative) fugitive in the territory. Having bounty killers on his back doesn't concern Indio, since he has other things on his mind, like a big, fortified and allegedly robbery-proof bank in El Paso. When Indio's men begin coming to El Paso, preparing for their daring raid, Manko and Mortimer must overcome their rivalry and at least temporarily join forces in order to set a trap for their common prey.

When For a Few Dollars More and A Fistful of Dollars are compared with each other, the improvements in the 1965 film are evident in almost every area. First of all, the script by Sergio Leone, Fulvio Morsella and Luciano Vincenzoni is much tidier, without plot holes and implausibilities, and the plot is concentrated solely on three major characters. Instead of one or two, this film features three major characters and their interaction is much more intriguing. The musical score by the legendary Ennio Morricone (this time credited with his real name) is also improved, providing at least two memorable themes; the opening theme often became a trademark of spaghetti westerns, and the last theme, used for the scene of the final showdown, was so effective that it would be repeated in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. And, finally, although a higher budget at least has something to do with the better quality of this film, the real reason is the drastically improved directorial skill of Sergio Leone. The Italian director has obviously worked very hard in order to avoid repetition and this film looks very different from its predecessor. Every scene, from those that introduce the characters at the beginning of the film, until the last, is perfectly staged, with Leone combining Morricone's music, the superb talents of his actors, and editing to create the desired emotional impact. The dark, almost nihilistic tone of the script is brightened with sharp, cynical dark humour (with the episode featuring Joseph Egger as an old man on the railway as the best example), while at the same time Leone gives a rather new, unusual and for its time somewhat controversial spin on the classical western motive of revenge.

Unlike the first, this film has three major characters, and all three are played by three superb actors. Clint Eastwood, whose character is (debatably) the only link to the other two films, is shadowed by his two colleagues, although he actually plays the nominal lead. Eastwood actually hadn't got much to do to bring new life to the character of a cynical gunslinger already established in A Fistful of Dollars, although his interaction with the other two actors is fine to watch. Lee Van Cleef, until this film specialised in the roles of heavies, brings somewhat more texture to his character. Leone's "show, don't tell" directorial style relies heavily on actors to tell his stories, and Lee Van Cleef does just that, creating the character of a cold, distanced professional and ruthless killer, whose motives at the end of the day might not be that simple. When we have two Good Guys in the form of cold-blooded killers, it is understandable that the Bad Guy must be bad with a capital B. This is achieved through the wonderful performance of Gian Maria Volonté. He plays Indio as a truly psychopathic villain (who almost reaches orgasm any time he kills a helpless victim), yet at the same time gives him the charisma and intelligence of a natural leader. Although for some his role might be slightly over the top, Volonté's Indio is one of the most impressive villains in the history of cinema. Even those who play supporting roles have something to offer, like Luigi Pistilli as Indio's sidekick Groggy, whose face would appear again in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

As a slick combination of western, powerful psychological drama, violent action and dark humour, For a Few Dollars More provides entertainment for viewers even today, after decades of exposure to other films inspired by it. The only possible flaw of the film is in its length, but Leone probably intended this film to be that long, because only in long, elaborate scenes could his sense of detail be properly seen. Those viewers who are ready to sit for two hours watching this film would be more than adequately rewarded for their patience.

RATING: 9/10 (++++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on February 14th 2000)