For a Few Dollars More (1965)

Two bounty hunters with the same intentions team up to track down a Western outlaw.

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Sergio Leone (scenario), Fulvio Morsella (scenario)

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volontè

Top Rated Movies #109 | 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Monco
Lee Van Cleef	...	Col. Douglas Mortimer
Gian Maria Volontè	...	El Indio (The Indian)
Mario Brega	...	Nino, Member of Indio's Gang
Luigi Pistilli	...	Groggy, Member of Indio's Gang
Aldo Sambrell	...	Cuchillio
Klaus Kinski	...	Juan Wild - The Hunchback
Benito Stefanelli	...	Luke 'Hughie'
Luis Rodríguez	...	Manuel, Member of Indio's Gang (as Luis Rodriguez)
Panos Papadopulos	...	Sancho Perez, Member of Indio's Gang (as Panos Papadopoulos)
Mara Krupp	...	Mary - Hotel Manager's Beautiful Wife (as Mara Krup)
Roberto Camardiel	...	Tucumcari station clerk (as Robert Camardiel)
Joseph Egger	...	Old Prophet (as Josef Egger)
Tomás Blanco	...	Tucumcari sheriff (as Tomas Blanco)
Lorenzo Robledo	...	Tomaso, Indio's Traitor

Storyline

Manco (Clint Eastwood) is a bounty killer chasing El Indio (Gian Maria Volontè) and his gang. During his hunting, he meets Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef), another bounty killer, and they decide to make a partnership, chase the bad guys together and split the reward. During their enterprise, there will be lots of bullets and funny situations. In the end, one of the bounty hunters shows the real intention of his hunting.

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Plot Keywords:

mexico | shoulder holster | new mexico desert | alamogordo new mexico | arizona desert | 

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Taglines:

The man with no name is back... The man in black is waiting... a walking arsenal - he uncoils, strikes and kills!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy Spain West Germany

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

10 May 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

For a Few Dollars More

Filming Locations:

Desierto de Tabernas, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$600,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$15,000,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA), Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas, Constantin Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On its 1969 re-release, it was double-billed with A Fistful of Dollars (1964).

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Goofs

Although much care was taken to disguise the locomotive as an "American" type, the European buffers are still visible on the front pilot.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Train Conductor: Tickets. Tickets, please. Tickets. Tickets. Thank you. Tickets.
Col. Douglas Mortimer: Is this part of Tucumcari?
Train Conductor: We should pass there in about three to four minutes.
Col. Douglas Mortimer: Thanks.
Carpetbagger on Train: Well, eh, excuse me, but you made a mistake, Reverend. I couldn't help hearing you're going to Tucumcari. I sell goods around here, and I gotta tell you, you're on the wrong train. I think the nearest stop to Tucumcari is Amarillo. By getting off at Santa Fe and returning by way of Amarillo, you should be able to get right where... ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The title credits disappear as if being shot by a gun.

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Alternate Versions

The German theatrical version has been cut by 10 minutes for the original release. Although the movie has been redubbed in 1995, the cuts have been kept. The following material was removed:

• Pre-credits sequence shortened
• The intro text after the credits is removed (restored in the '95 redub),
• The head shot closeup of Guy Calloway is removed.
• Indio shoots multiple times into the guard room.
• Wife and child of the traitor of Indio are shot by Indio's men; dueling scene between Indio and the traitor is shortened,
• Beating up scene of Monco and Mortimer shortened,
• When Mortimer's Sister commits suicide, the pan down to the bleeding wound is removed,
• The scene in which Monco counts the bounty as wounded Groggy tries to shoot him and Monco kills him, thus "solving his arithmetics problem", is removed

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Connections

Referenced in Wake in Fright: Part 2 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Indio & Nino
(uncredited)
Composed by Ennio Morricone

User Reviews

A classic in every aspect.

"For a Few Dollars More" is the middle film of Sergio Leone's classic western trilogy starring a then upstart Clint Eastwood. Sandwiched between "A Fistful of Dollars" and the finale, "The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly." This film provides further insight into Eastwood's "Man with No Name."

Eastwood is a bounty killer who is in search of the feared bandit known as El Indio. Colonel Douglas Mortimer (played by Lee Van Cleef) is in a similar position, and the two cross paths many times in their pursuits of El Indio. The premise has similarities to that of the first, and in fact won't be all that surprising to most younger viewers. But at the time, the various plot turns and twists were unique and revolutionary.

The pace is both a pro and con at the same time. Unlike modern films, the usual western showdown scenes unfold very deliberately. Rather than simultaneously begin and end in a furious volley of bullets, the encounters are set up slowly. On the bright side, this gives both the characters and the viewers an opportunity to fully appreciate the choices made and the consequences that will follow. From a negative perspective (not mine), one might say that the gunfights are plain slow, and the action is too sparse. While I enjoyed the change of pace, I also understand why some will say otherwise. Others portions of "More" can hang with any western sequences ever put on film. Highlighting the action is a robbery scene, the creativity of which ranks with any modern heist out of "The Score" or "The Italian Job."

This trilogy catapulted Clint Eastwood to Hollywood fame, and one can see his star-making charisma ooze through the screen. Blending stoicism and machismo wonderfully, Eastwood produces the epitome of the tough and arrogant loner cowboy. In a role that could easily have been overshadowed, Van Cleef holds his own against Eastwood. His character was probably similar to Eastwood's in his youth, but Van Cleef accurately reflects the wisdom that would likely come with his character's age. The motley crew of baddies is filled with men who completely look their parts. That's about all that is asked of them, and they deliver.

The cinematography of "More" follows in the groundbreaking footsteps of "Fistful." While one might not notice anything revolutionary now, at the time shots like that had scarcely been seen. Shots like the low-angles utilized prior to a few shootouts, as well as the framing of space are all now staples of cinematic westerns, and they originated here.

Ennio Morricone's score is also a classic. Whether serving as epic background music for sweeping crane shots or providing aural cues during action sequences, the music is always appropriate and often the best part of the film.

Bottom Line: While it might not seem as great now, so much of this movie was groundbreaking and remains classic that it merits 8 of 10.