A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

A wandering gunfighter plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.

Director:

Sergio Leone (as Bob Robertson)

Writers:

Adriano Bolzoni (story) (as A. Bonzzoni), Mark Lowell (dialogue)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clint Eastwood	...	Joe
Marianne Koch	...	Marisol
Gian Maria Volontè	...	Ramón Rojo (as John Wells) (as Johnny Wels)
Wolfgang Lukschy	...	John Baxter (as W. Lukschy)
Sieghardt Rupp	...	Esteban Rojo (as S. Rupp)
Joseph Egger	...	Piripero (as Joe Edger)
Antonio Prieto	...	Don Benito Rojo / Don Miguel Rojo
José Calvo	...	Silvanito (as Jose Calvo)
Margarita Lozano	...	Consuelo Baxter (as Margherita Lozano)
Daniel Martín	...	Julián (as Daniel Martin)
Benito Stefanelli	...	Rubio (as Benny Reeves)
Mario Brega	...	Chico (as Richard Stuyvesant)
Bruno Carotenuto	...	Antonio Baxter (as Carol Brown)
Aldo Sambrell	...	Rojo gang member (as Aldo Sambreli)

Storyline

An anonymous, but deadly man rides into a town torn by war between two factions, the Baxters and the Rojos. Instead of fleeing or dying, as most others would do, the man schemes to play the two sides off against each other, getting rich in the bargain.

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Plot Keywords:

yojimbo plot | two gun holster | army | italo western | bar | 

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Taglines:

This is the man with no name. Danger fits him like a glove.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lee Marvin, Frank Wolff, Tony Kendall, Cliff Robertson, Steve Reeves, Horst Buchholz Henry Silva, Rory Calhoun, Tony Russel, and Ty Hardin were considered to star as The Man With No Name.

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Goofs

In the final shoot out with Ramon, Joe loads only one bullet in his revolver, then quickly spins the cylinder. This would have given him only one chance in 6 that the cartridge would be under the hammer when he pulled the trigger. One experienced gunfighter would have caused the cylinder to click only four times. With practice this can be easily and quickly accomplished by dragging the cylinder from the base of the middle finger to the fingertip (with small changes to allow for differences in the size of the hand).

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Quotes

Esteban Rojo: My name is Esteban Rojo, my bother asked me to... what are you doing?
Joe: Moving.
Esteban Rojo: Don't you know all our men sleep here with us?
Joe: Well that's all very cozy, but I don't find you men all that appealing.

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Alternate Versions

The original British theatrical release had about 4 minutes cut by the BBFC. Many closeup shots of bloodied faces and bodies (including the body of Chico) were removed, as well as a shot of Ramon dripping blood from his mouth. The main cuts however were to the beating up of Eastwood, which lost a hand stomping scene, and extensive cuts to the assault on the Baxters house which was cut to shorten the overall sequence by removing all shots of men on fire and the shooting of Consuela Baxter (the cut version removes the shot of her falling backwards). The 1999 MGM video and DVD releases are fully uncut and the same as the USA DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in Cemetery Without Crosses (1969)

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Soundtracks

Sweet Betsy from Pike
(uncredited)
Written by John A. Stone
Performed by Clint Eastwood

User Reviews

Sergio Leone's first classic spaghetti western masterpiece and the best one of Clint Eastwood!

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) in my opinion is the second best one in the spaghetti western series, that is Sergio Leone's first best masterpiece in "Dollars Trilogy", that started all. It is my personal favorite western movie of all time. I love this movie to death and I will always cherish it.

A lot of people are going for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Once Upon a Time in the West and of course Eastwood's Unforgiven as their best favorite western films. But no one talks about this one: A Fistful of Dollars, which in my opinion is a classic & Sergio Leone's first masterpiece! This was the third Clint Eastwood's western film that I saw as a kid and I loved it every since. What can I say? Except I love this movie and it is my second favorite Clint Eastwood western movie. This one is in my top 5 Eastwood western films. I just love this movie to death and I love the story and the actors that it is in this film.

This movie is shorter for only an hour and 39 minutes long, which is not boring, it is fast paced and it is filled with classic moments. A Fistful of Dollars is a classic and I can always watch and enjoy it, without been bored. Clint Eastwood stars as the greatest Western character of all time, ever created - "The Man With No Name" in the greatest Western of all time. The story is an unofficial reworking of the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo from 1961. What I love about this film is Clint Eastwood's character who helps out a young family, who is torn apart from the Rojo's gang, he make sure that the kid goes in to his mom's arms, Eastwood was a heart in this movie. Also you have nice shootouts, Eastwood wears a boiler plate as a bullet proof vest, while Ramón Rojo (Gian Maria Volontè) fires his Winchester '92 rifle at "The Man With No Name" brilliant! Than "The Man With No Name" kills them all with his colt, excellent! Ramón fires the Mitrailleuse machine gun, killing dozen of Mexican Soldiers, awesome! Gian Maria Volontè as Ramón Rojo was a terrific villain and he did awesome job.

The plot start's faster and it is a stone cold classic that started all. Clint Eastwood is the coolest actor in the role playing the famous character of all time, that made him an icon. Every second on screen, he chews up the scenery and even today remains as bad ass as ever. Eastwood's character has been mimicked and copied numerous times over the years and yet he still stands up to modern scrutiny. Despite the character being so cool, there is still humor to be found, like the fact that he ALWAYS has that cigar in his mouth even when he's lying in bed. You also have the classic "Mule" scene which manages to be bad ass and funny at the same time. Sergio Leone directs everything to perfection and considering the film is from 1964, it's extremely well paced with plenty of action. The score was provided by Ennio Morricone, who for some reason is credited as Dan Savio. The music is another element that has been copied by practically every other Western since. It set the standard of what a Western could be and once you watch the film, the tune will go through your head for hours.

Not only that this movie is a classic but two movies ripped off the story from this film: Bruce Willis's Last Man Standing (1996) which completely ripped off the story from this film and Sukiyaki Western Django (2007).

This is the beginning of the Man With No Name series. The visuals are beautiful, the character of the Man With No Name menacing and mysterious, the score is brilliant and the action is a blast. The greatest "spaghetti" western ever. The one that launched a thousand copycat versions, even the wonderful score by Ennio Morricone. A Fistful of Dollars is a legendary, with bullets, as loud as the explosions and close ups extreme. The plot is simple (though not as much as the sequel, A Few Dollars More) but that is what enables Sergio to weave a masterpiece. Iconic score.

A Fistful of Dollars gets a perfect 10 by me and remains my all time best favorite Eastwood Western movie in the series that I absolutely love to death and I love Clint Eastwood's character. It's a genre that doesn't get enough love and it really should as it deals with all the familiar elements of action films, like this one is.

Details

Country:

Italy Spain West Germany

Language:

Italian Spanish

Release Date:

18 January 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Fistful of Dollars

Filming Locations:

Aldea del Fresno, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$14,500,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,516,248

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jolly Film, Constantin Film, Ocean Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1