Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Sergio Leone

Writers:

Fulvio Morsella (scenario) and
Sergio Leone (scenario) ...

Release Date:

10 May 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Tagline:

The man with no name is back... The man in black is waiting! As if one wasn't enough . . . as if death needed a double!

Plot:

Two bounty hunters with completely different intentions team up to track down a Western outlaw.

Plot Keywords:

Bounty Hunter | Hunchback | Poker | Warrior | Anti Hero

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Monco
Lee Van Cleef	...	Col. Douglas Mortimer
Gian Maria Volontè	...	El Indio
Mara Krupp	...	Mary - the innkeeper (as Mara Krup)
Luigi Pistilli	...	Groggy
Klaus Kinski	...	Wild (the hunchback)
Joseph Egger	...	Old Prophet (as Josef Egger)
Panos Papadopulos	...	Sancho Perez (as Panos Papadopoulos)
Benito Stefanelli	...	Luke
Roberto Camardiel	...	Tucumcari station clerk (as Robert Camardiel)
Aldo Sambrell	...	Cuccillo
Luis Rodríguez	...	El Indio's gang member (as Luis Rodriguez)
Tomás Blanco	...	Tucumcari sheriff (as Tomas Blanco)
Lorenzo Robledo	...	Blacky
Sergio Mendizábal	...	Tucumcari bank manager (as Sergio Mendizabal)

Also Known As:

For a Few Dollars More (UK) (USA)
A Few Dollars More (Philippines: English title)
Due stranieri magnifici (Italy) (working title)
Für ein paar Dollar mehr (West Germany)
For Some Dollars More (International: English title)
La muerte tenía un precio (Spain)
Por unos cuantos dólares más (Spain)
Por unos pocos dólares más (Spain)

Runtime:

132 min | USA:132 min (DVD version)

Country:

Italy | Spain | West Germany | Monaco

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1966) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1984) (uncut) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Brazil:12 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Ireland:15 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) (2005) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | USA:M (original rating) | USA:R (re-rating) (1989) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Almería Railway Station, Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas

Trivia:

Although Clint Eastwood's poncho was never washed during the production of the "Dollar" trilogy, it was mended. In the final scene of Per un pugno di dollari (1964), the poncho is pierced by seven bullets from Ramon's Winchester. In the sequel, Eastwood wears the same poncho back-to-front and the mending of the bullet holes is clearly visible in several scenes. The mended area, originally on the left breast, is now worn over the right shoulder blade.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the end of the movie, just before the duel, we see El Indio reloading his gun. He uses all the cartridges in the lower left side of this ammo belt. However, when he goes out to the street, 4 cartridges appear again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Train Conductor: Tickets. Tickets, please. Tickets. Tickets. Thank you. Tickets.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Musikosebi (1969)

The finest example of the Spaghetti Western revolution

Italian director Sergio Leone changed the face of the Western genre in 1964 when he introduced what would be known as the "Spaghetti Western" with the brilliant "Per un Pugno di Dollari" ("A Fistful of Dollars"). Not only the films looked grittier, violent and realistic; the characters in Leone's westerns became complex men with complex and obscure moral codes, very far away from the classic clear moral opposites of previous westerns. "Per Qualche Dollaro in più" ("For a few dollars more"), is the epitome of all this. It is a powerful, raw and ruthless masterpiece that transcended its genre and became one of the best movies of all-time.

"For a Few Dollars More", the second in the so-called "Dollars trilogy" (a group of films by Leone with the same style), is the story of two different yet very similar men, Manco (Clint Eastwood) and the Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) are two bounty hunters who are after the criminal named "El Indio" (Gian Maria Volontè). An unlikely alliance occurs between the two lone wolves as they decide to cooperate and divide the reward, but are these two killers after "Indio" for the same reason?

Written by Fulvio Morsella and Sergio Leone himself, the film's main characteristic is the complex moral code the main characters follow. They are no longer the perfect clean heroes of classic westerns, both Manco and the Colonel have well-developed attitudes, motivations and purposes; they are neither completely good nor completely bad, they are just real. The story unfolds with a fine pace and good rhythm, it is probably the best structured of the "Trilogy" and the easiest to follow. It is also the one that represents the elements of the Spaghetti Western style the best.

Stylistically, the film follows closely the conventions established by Leone's previous film but it takes them to the next level. The excellent use of minimalistic cinematography and the superb musical score by Ennio Morricone complement Leone's realistic vision of Westerns and completely redefined the genre's conventions. "For a Few Dollars More" is a violent tale of two hunters, and visually the film transmits the same emotions the characters feel. No more myths, the Westerns never felt this real.

Clint Eastwood's super performance as Manco is very important for the success of the film, as he is the one that takes the audience through this brave new world, however, the star of the film is Lee Van Cleef as Colonel Mortimer. In one of his best performances ever, Van Cleef manages to be both menacing and interesting, giving life to Leone's brilliant script with great talent. Gian Maria Volontè as Indio complements the two big talents as the crazed criminal with a dark past, he is the perfect counterpart of the two lone wolves.

"Per qualche dollaro in più" is a near flawless movie, as every piece of the puzzle falls into the right place to create a marvelous and unforgettable picture. It's only minor problem may be the dubbing, but fortunately, it still is superior to the one heard in other Italian productions of the same time and it doesn't hurt the film.

Fans will always argue about which of the three films of the "trilogy" is the best, and while personally I prefer "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" over this one, it is just a matter of personal taste as this film is as perfect as that one. A real classic that changed the face of Western as we knew it. 10/10