We rented this because the trailer was so impressive (see dialogue above). Before watching it, I read a short review that said it was "the epitome of spaghetti westerns." Man, I just love that term and the ring it has to it: Spaghetti Western. I will admit, right off the bat, a couple of things. First, I've only seen maybe half a dozen of the classic ones. Second, that I kind of have trouble following the exact plot of most SW's (though this could also be due to the fact that, when a character is explaining crucial plot points, they have such a thick accent and talk so fast that I have to hit rewind--this probably has something to do with the dialogue dubbing). Also, Clint Eastwood never has too much dialogue, and he's usually one of the few who isn't dubbed and and is actually clearly understandable. But as far as the plot points go, you get the idea. CE plays the proverbial Stranger in Town, who Has a Score to Settle. He gets called "Gringo" a lot. This is not the kind of guy who comes to town just kinda to kick back and relax, or hang out because he's on vacation. He doesn't take kindly to characters who shoot an unarmed man (especialy in the back), or kill an innocent -especially a child, because he seems to have a soft spot somewhere in that hardened soul of his for kids--and his creed usually makes the wrong people, aka the Bad Guys mad. The aforementioned wrong people usually being a corrupt authority figure such as a sheriff, or the kind of Lowdown Dirty Gang that would kill a baby or a woman for money/gold, or just for kicks You either dig this kind of movie or you don't. No middle of the road. It is , however, possible to develop a taste for this kind of movie-I can say this because it happened to me. Maybe it was just that I developed that taste for it like you do for red wine, or maybe just that one realizes that you really enjoy a killer opening scene, the cool credits with the Morricone score, or hearing dialogue like, "Kill them like dogs!" or "Bring him in alive...I want him alive!". Maybe I developed a taste for seeing these movies while watching the way there's a build up when the Man With No Name enters (usually by showing a shot of his boots, or his shadow), or someone being shot on a balcony and then crashing through the railing and plummeting a few stories to the dust below, or seeing something (or someone) getting spectacularly blown up or set on fire, or scenes where even though they take place at night, it seems to be 110 degrees-there isn't one character's face that isn't shining or dripping sweat. Maybe I just get a kick out of some charcter saying something along the lines of, "Please don't shoot, OK? I'll give you whate--"BLAMMO! Extras that are missing key teeth and have pitted skin and look like they actually realy are career criminals,. Or, almost best of all, you love moments where a character either jeers at or beats up CE and you think/say, "OK, he's dead" or 'that guy just signed his own death warrant.", and you can't wait for the moment when the character is riddled with bullets by CE. Other than the fact that I had slight trouble following the plot (maybe it was so simple that I was reading too much into it), it's hard to find much negative to say about Fistful of Dollars. Some of the dubbing isn't so great- there's a child whose voice doesn't match at all, and is obviously an adult just talking in a whiny annoying voice. I also get the sneaking suspicion that the movie didn't exactly have the ASCPA's seal of approval. One actress in particular had obvious mid-60's eye-makeup that looked pretty dated, though this wasn't necesarily a negative point for me. This movie didn't have a high budget, but you would never know it from watching it. I know I'm not exacty a ground-breaker in saying this, but If Clint Eastwood hadn't been born, someone would have had to invent him. I have to give credit where credit is due.He's at the height of his style here. He sleeps in the same clothes he wears in the daytime. He almost never takes his hat off. He has a cigarello clamped between his teeth half the time. He has two facial expression-angry and pis$ed. He has almost no change of expression in his face at all when he plugs someone full of lead. Women love him, but of course, he's a Ramblin' Guy and can't settle down. He could probably look cool riding a unicycle, and never shows fear-he could be tied up, about to be set on fire, and pushed off a cliff and still look mean. Let's face it-his style as the Man with No Name his often been imitated and emulated, but no-one even comes close to touching him. They don't make 'em like this anymore, and it's too bad. With the execption of Sam Raimi's brilliant and underrated 'The Quick and the Dead (which I saw prior to seeing this movie, and then realized how obvious it the infuence FOD had on Raimi), you don't see movies anymore where someone rides by on a burro with a sign stuck to their back that says "Adios Amigo" , or where characters seem to be wearing Man-tan. As I was saying before, if 'You've Got Mail" or "Forrest Gump" is your kind of movie, this probably isn't for you. But if you want to see the epitome of the Spaghetti Western, you need to see this movie. A note on the DVD- not too much in the way of extras, but the original trailer included ("my mistake, four coffins") makes up for it. At the end, the trailer says confidently, 'The first movie of it's kind...and it won't be the last." . Thank God for that. Best watched when eating Itiallian food, or drinking tequila, or both of the above.
Review of A Fistful of Dollars
