Review of For a Few Dollars More (1965) by Lisa K — 29 May 2011

Filled with action and thick characters, what's not to love about For a Few Dollars More? Clint Eastwood is back as the man with no name. He is still as mysterious as his first time in Fistful of Dollars, yet I still found myself connected to his character.

We might not know every single motivation behind him, or what makes him tick outside of money, but he is just so damn cool that we love the mystery. The film is filled with who's playing who? At first we think Monco and Mortimer will work together, but Monco has plans of his own.

But Mortimer seems to understand Monco: he's always two steps ahead of him. Mortimer wants to trick Indio and his gang, but what Mortimer and Monco don't understand is that Indio knows Monco is a bounty hunter from the first time he meets him.

It's fun to see this entire storyline unfold. I knew from the start there had to be more than what's being told to us but it was exciting to see it play out. One of the things that makes For a Few Dollars More so perfect is that it's a standalone film, but it is better if you see Fistful of Dollars first.

The first time Monco is in a standoff with three men I knew he was going to whip out his gun and get three shots off before they could even think about moving. It makes the scene so much better knowing his character ahead of time, but it still works if you haven't seen the previous film.

The editing is brilliant. I love the closeups during the standoffs. Everything flows smoothly so that we know exactly what's going on without seeing the whole picture. Indio is the perfect villain.

We catch a glimpse of his girlfriend (or maybe wife?) cheating on him in his own bed, so he kills the man she was sleeping with. Indio plays the song that is in the pocket watch that holds her picture, and once the song is finished he will shoot the man he is after.

The music makes everything tense and we know the other guy doesn't stand a chance. Most importantly, Indio is human. He might be completely evil now, but we see glimpses of a man haunted by his past.

Sergio Leone proves himself to be the king of spaghetti westerns, and I can't wait until I get to see The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.