“A Fistful of Dollars” (1964) directed by Sergio Leone; starring Clint Eastwood / Z-View

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

Director:  Sergio Leone

Screenplay: Víctor Andrés Catena, Jaime Comas Gil, Sergio Leone, Fernando Di Leo (uncredited), Duccio Tessari (uncredited) Tonino Valerii; written by Adriano Bolzoni, Mark Lowell, Víctor Andrés Catena, Sergio Leone; based on Yojimbo (1961)  by Akira Kurosawa, Ryūzō Kikushima

Stars: Clint Eastwood

Tagline:  In his own way he is, perhaps, the most dangerous man who ever lived!

The Plot…

When a gunfighter rides into the frontier town of San Miguel, he learns that two crime families are at war.  Seeing an opportunity to get rich, the gunslinger decides to play both sides of the street.

It’s a plan that could cost him his life.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

A Fistful of Dollars was seen as overly violent when first released.  Critics said The Man with No Name was just another gun thug willing to kill anyone for money.  In fact before A Fistful of Dollars was shown on ABC in 1975, a prologue was added.  It featured a stand-in for Eastwood, a couple of shots of Eastwood’s eyes and Harry Dean Stanton as a government official.  Eastwood’s character is offered a pardon if he goes to San Miguel and cleans up the town.  Now instead of a greedy coldblooded killer, Eastwood is a man on a mission for justice. Bah!

Akira Kurosawa sued since A Fistful of Dollars is basically Yojimbo as a western. Leone settled out of court, reportedly for 15% of the worldwide receipts of A Fistful of Dollars.  What’s funny is that Yojimbo is an adaption of Dashiell Hammett’s gangster novel RED HARVEST.  The lone gunfighter becomes a ronin going against samurai for Yojimbo.

Clint Eastwood was offered the role after it was turned down by Steve Reeves, Henry Fonda, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and Richard Harrison.  The role was then offered to the star of the television series Rawhide, Eric Fleming.  Fleming turned it down, but suggested his Rawhide co-star, Clint Eastwood.  The rest is history.

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) rates 4 of 5 stars