FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (PER QUALCHE DOLLARO IN PIŁ) A Film Review Copyright Dragan Antulov 2000
Some STAR WARS fans might disagree, but movie trilogies tend not to get better with each passing segment. It is quite understandable, because now we know that even the second sequel of the film, or the second part of the 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 Man With No Name trilogy, series of three spaghetti westerns directed by great Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. The third and final film in the trilogy, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, is often considered as a true masterpiece, one of the best films ever made, while the first, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, although most copied, is often considered to be only the embryonic shadow of its sequels. The second in a row, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, made in 1965, is least talked about, although it represents not just the obvious improvement of the series, but also one excellent western.
The plot of FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE is set in New Mexico Territory in the latter half of 19th Century, in a time when the land is at the mercy of vicious bandits. As prologue tells us, "when life has value, death sometimes has price", and the bounty killers are there to do the dirty work for the weak forces of law. One of them is Colonel Douglas Mortimer (played by Lee Van Cleef), excellent shot and former war hero, now reduced to having to track and kill wanted fugitives for a living. The other is Manko (played by Clint Eastwood), younger and somewhat less experienced, but equally deadly with gun. Two of them often share hunting area, but never the same prey. Such thing would happen when Indio (played by Gian Maria Volonte), leader of vicious gang of bandits and 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 get compared with each other, the improvements in the 1965 film are evident in almost any area. First of all, the script by Sergio Leone, Fulvio Morsella and Luciano Vincenzoni is much tidier, without plot holes and implausiblities, 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. Musical score by legendary Ennio Morricone (this time credited with his real name) is also improved, providing at least two memorable themes; the opening theme is often became trademark of spaghetti westerns, and the last theme, used for the scene of final showdown, was so effective that it would be repeated in THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. And, finally, although higher budget at least has something to do with the better quality of this film, the real reason is drastically better directorial skills 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 character at the beginning of the film, until the last, is perfectly staged, with Leone combining Morricone's music, superb talents of his actors, and editing to create desired emotional impact. Dark, almost nihilistic tone of the script is brightened with sharp, cynical dark humour (with episode featuring Joseph Egger as an old man on the railway as the best example), while in the same time Leone gives 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 characters. Clint Eastwood, whose character is (debatably) the only link to the other two films, is shadowed by his two colleagues, although he actually plays nominal lead. Eastwood actually hadn't got much to do to bring some new life to the character of cynical gunslinger already established in A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, although his interaction with other two actors is fine to watch. Lee Van Cleef, until this film specialised for 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 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 capital B. This is achieved through wonderful performance of Gian Maria Volonte. He plays Indio as truly psychopathic villain (who almost reaches orgasm any time he kills a helpless victim), yet in the same time he gives him charisma and intelligence of natural leader. Although for some his role might be slightly over the top, Volonte'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 Pristilli 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 promoted 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 a long, elaborate scenes his sense of detail could 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 (++++)
Review written on February 14th 2000
Dragan Antulov a.k.a. Drax Fido: 2:381/100 E-mail: dragan.antulov@st.tel.hr E-mail: drax@purger.com E-mail: dragan.antulov@altbbs.fido.hr
Filmske recenzije na hrvatskom/Movie Reviews in Croatian http://film.purger.com
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