For A Few Dollars More 50th Anniversary

[Jed Cooper]

For A Few Dollars More (1965)

The first time I saw this was on a local television channel. It was either WLVI 56 or WSBK 38, both Boston stations. I can’t recall which of the Eastwood “spaghetti western” trilogy I’d seen first. I do know that once I saw one, I was hooked and wanted to see more of the same.

I watched this again recently and it’s always entertaining. I always get a kick out of the scene were Eastwood’s character, Manco, interrupts the card game where Red is playing. Manco is a bounty hunter and Red is a wanted man. After losing, Red says, “Didn’t hear what the bet was”, to which Manco replies, “Your life.” Classic! Understandably, he tries to get away but can’t and is given an ultimatum: “Alive or dead? It’s your choice.” With these few words and actions, Eastwood’s character is defined early on in this film. Lee Van Cleef is great, too, as Colonel Mortimer. The standoff between Mortimer and Manco is tense and amusing, ending in a draw and an alliance. Gian Maria Volonté returns as the antagonist and he’s just as effective and entertaining here as El Indio as he was as Ramon in A Fistful Of Dollars .

Another great scene takes place in the sheriff’s office when Manco collects his bounty for Red. When asked where he could find Red, the Sheriff told him but alerted Red’s friends, who confronted Manco at the saloon entrance just after the “alive or dead” scene. Being faster on the draw, of course, Red’s friends were all gunned down quickly and Red himself suffered the same fate when crawling to reach for a gun. Because of the Sheriff’s betrayal, Manco asks, “Tell me, isn’t the Sheriff supposed to be courageous, loyal and, above all, honest?” The Sheriff replies, “Yeah, that he is.” Manco grabs the badge from the the Sheriff’s vest, walks outside and places it in a bystander’s hat, saying, “I think you people need a new sheriff.”

Like the first in the Eastwood/Leone trilogy, this movie stands alone as an incredibly entertaining western. You don’t have to watch A Fistful Of Dollars before seeing this one. Each of the three can be watched in any order because they stand just as well individually as together. A bonus is Ennio Morricone’s score, a fantastic soundtrack to a great western movie.

[Rawhide7]

Yap I always enjoy watching this one. Matter fact it's in my top 10 favorite movies of all time. It's at least usually in my top 10. My views change a lot and being that this one is my number 10 favorite movie means that it sometimes gets knocked out of number 10 but it usually stays in my top 10 most of the time.  Clint and Lee Van Cleef are great in this one.

[Jed Cooper]

I agree with you there, Rawhide 7.  The combination of Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef was great and although their characters were opponents in the following film, they still worked great together.  Lee is one of many actors Clint worked again with all to briefly.  I wonder what it would've been like had they done another co-starring film some years later. 

[Rawhide7]

Yap I wish they would have made more movies together.  I also wish Clint and Charles Bronson played in some movies together.