J Besser
I was late to the party on this one. I always liked it but after a number of viewings spanning several decades I finally appreciate it's greatness. Leone took his time telling a story. But for me, "For a Few Dollars More" is the only one that doesn't seem to be just a bit too long. Great stuff right from the get go.
Movie_Muse_Reviews
In "A Fistful of Dollars," Sergio Leone took an Akira Kurosawa movie and used it as blueprint for his Western-themed playground, breaking all the rules and establishing new tropes for the genre. For a sequel that was reluctantly whipped up in short order, "For a Few Dollars More" demonstrates notable growth for the filmmaker.There's a lot more breadth and debatably even depth to "Few Dollars More." Clint Eastwood's Joe was the only interesting thing on screen in "Fistful," but in this film, Monco, as he's called, might not even be the best character.Lee Van Cleef takes a co-starring role as Col. Douglas Mortimer, a sharp-shooting bounty hunter like Manco who becomes entangled with our other anti-hero when the two pursue the high bounty on El Indio (Gian Maria Volonte), a notorious gang leader and criminal who has been broken out of prison. Monco and Mortimer strike a deal when they realize they stand more to gain by collaborating than by getting in each other's way. They both suspect that Indio and his gang will rob the supposedly impenetrable bank in El Paso and connive to thwart their plan from the inside.Van Cleef isn't a scene-stealer, but he carries himself behind a greater shroud of mystery than Eastwood, who has already shown us all his moves, at least as The Man with No Name. The script gives him all the same tricks, but we can't be sure what to expect of Mortimer, which Van Cleef leverages to his advantage.El Indio is also much more of a menacing presence than anything we got in "Fistful," which substituted the classic villain for a mélange of despicable characters, The Man with No Name included. Volonte starred as one of those shallow, unmemorable outlaws, and his turn as El Indio makes you doubt whether this is the same actor. The writing (Luciano Vincenzoni) makes a difference. El Indio is a colorful villain with a sinister yet human component giving him more dimensions. The touch of the musical pocket watch that haunts his enemies or anyone he wishes to stand against yet also haunts him shows a level of sophistication that's almost unexpected for a Spaghetti Western. "Few Dollars More" might not have the best one- liners of the trilogy, but the plot holds more weight.Tension is a hallmark of "Few Dollars More" that "Fistful" is largely missing. The impending showdown between Monco, Mortimer and El Indio holds a lot of promise. We've seen what all sides are capable of in compelling ways. A more telling sign of this difference is that "Fistful" has twice the death toll of "Few Dollars More" yet in the latter, Leone really makes the body count, well, count. Both are "shoot 'em up" movies that emphasize genre thrills, but this movie is distinctly more dramatic.As a director, Leone is a little more creative in "Fistful," but sometimes to the movie's detriment. "Few Dollars More" is a little more by the numbers, but Leone seems to have a better read on what the best shot is in any given scenario to evoke the desired response in the viewer. He knows what was cool and sleek about "Fistful" and leans more on that in this movie. There's something breathtaking about the way he does close-ups that has so few equals in all of cinematic history, especially in genre films.You can't end a Leone review without talking about composer Ennio Morricone and honestly, the sound mixing in general. The themes Morricone gives to each character and the way he melds them into the more complex compositions has more to do with the enjoyment of Leone's films than you would initially give it credit for. He does rollicking theme music as expertly as he does the more intimate, suspenseful moments. Mixed together with prolific gunshots, galloping and more, so much of the live and style of these movies supports itself on a bed of exciting sound.As "Fistful" did, "Few Dollars More" has plenty of throwaway moments and parts that are shallow and uninteresting, but the style is one all of its own and Leone deserves continued celebration for the way his movies rewrote the essentials of the Western formula.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more
slightlymad22
For A Few Dollars More (1965)Plot In A Paragraph: Two bounty hunters Monco (Clint Eastwood) and Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) join forces to track the outlaw El Indio who has just broke out of prison.With triple the budget of A Fistful Of Dollars, Leone delivers a movie that is longer, funnier and bloodier than its predecessor. Even the gun play is more outlandish (seeing the end of Clints cigar get shot off amused my son no end) as is the actions set pieces!! Once again Ennino Morricone's score is superb. Lee Gan Cleef is simply as cool as a cucumber, Gina Maria Volonte (Ramon Rojo in A Fist Full Of Dollars) returns and is as reliable as he was first time around and he isn't the only one returning, Benito Stefanelli and Aldo Sambrell return too. As for Clint, he was heading in to the 8th and final season of Rawhide, and he dusts off the very same poncho he wore in the first movie and stakes his claim as a bona fide movie star As much as I love the first one, this one is even better!! And as a side note, the musical theme the watch played, was the first ringtone I ever downloaded!! Grossing $15 million A Few Dollars More was the 12th highest grossing movie and 1965. A fantastic success given its $600,000 budget.
