A Fistful of Dollars
United Artists | Release Date: January 18, 1967
8.2
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 106 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
93
Mixed:
12
Negative:
1
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9
kyle20ellisMay 4, 2022
A Fistful of Dollars is not quite as good as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the Three Dollars trilogy(or Once Upon a Time in America and Once Upon a Time in the West), and I also think the film that inspired it Kurosawa's Yojimbo is theA Fistful of Dollars is not quite as good as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the Three Dollars trilogy(or Once Upon a Time in America and Once Upon a Time in the West), and I also think the film that inspired it Kurosawa's Yojimbo is the superior film. That said, that is not down-grading A Fistful of Dollars in any way, it is still a truly great film. As with all Leone's it is incredibly well made, the scenery is epic and looks gorgeous and the extreme close ups really helps to enhance the unrelenting violence. Ennio Morricone's score is wonderful with its minimalist style really fitting with the movie. The story is both elegiac which helps to give that feel of mystery to the Man with No Name's character and thrilling with the violence and the camera work. Leone's direction is as ever superb, as is the acting. Clint Eastwood became an international superstar and you can see why, he oozes charisma and his idea to make The Man with No Name mysterious with minimal dialogue proved to be a great one. Of the supporting cast, Gian Maria Volonte is especially impressive, as Ramon he snarls very convincingly. All in all, a great film. 9/10 Bethany Cox… Expand
3 of 3 users found this helpful30
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8
glommanDec 5, 2020
The movie itself is very formulaic, with a stoic hero, whose wits seemingly always outpace his opponents. His motives are noble, albeit also very driven by money, he needs no further backstory. The effects are primitive, with bullets thatThe movie itself is very formulaic, with a stoic hero, whose wits seemingly always outpace his opponents. His motives are noble, albeit also very driven by money, he needs no further backstory. The effects are primitive, with bullets that don't penetrate and blood that looks like cranberry juice, yet I still absolutely love this movie, and there are two things which make me think that way. First and foremost, the music by Ennio Morricone. Without it, the movie would be incredibly bland and him and Sergio Leone, the director, make a perfect team. Second, Clint Eastwood in his prime is always absolutely cool to watch.
This should be watched by everyone who wants to see a classic "Italo-Western".… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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7
frederik1478Sep 25, 2020
a movie worth being called a classic, I was pleasantly surprised by How short the movie but Not at Boeing minute in it. It's really charming seeing Spanish actors getting voice-over, So if you are looking for a Western to start with ,Go witha movie worth being called a classic, I was pleasantly surprised by How short the movie but Not at Boeing minute in it. It's really charming seeing Spanish actors getting voice-over, So if you are looking for a Western to start with ,Go with this one… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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7
TyranianApr 7, 2019
Very good spaghetti western, Eastwood is great and the music is awesome. Very entertaining.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
mazewaxieJun 8, 2019
The first film in the Dollars Trilogy is maybe the "worst" in the series but remains a memorable movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
CoreGamer1408May 29, 2023
Considering Yojimbo is possibly my fave movie of all time. Well how did this spiritual adaptation work out? Enough beats were changed from the original. So this version, became very much it's own thing thankfully.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
hardcorekiddSep 18, 2018
The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood) enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers (Antonio Prieto, Benny Reeves, Sieghardt Rupp) and sheriff John Baxter (Wolfgang Lukschy). When aThe Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood) enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers (Antonio Prieto, Benny Reeves, Sieghardt Rupp) and sheriff John Baxter (Wolfgang Lukschy). When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold intended to pay for new weapons is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, the stranger inserts himself into the middle of the long-simmering battle, selling false information to both sides for his own benefit. With Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo as his template, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars helped define a new era for the Western and usher in its most iconic star, Clint Eastwood. I'll give A Fistful of Dollars an A. (9.6/10)… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
amheretojudgeJun 27, 2018
more than a handful..

Fistful Of Dollars The camera work is not only supported but celebrated with an amazing cinematography as it does usually on such western feature. As much as simple the plot goes, the weaving of the whole structuremore than a handful..

Fistful Of Dollars

The camera work is not only supported but celebrated with an amazing cinematography as it does usually on such western feature. As much as simple the plot goes, the weaving of the whole structure goes dull in its first act, as it grows obvious. It is rich on technical aspects like sound effects, background score and editing. Sergio Leone is no short on execution and has probably improved on his skills as it keeps the audience engaged and doesn't unnecessarily chews off the character's perspective. Clint Eastwood holds on to its role and delivers the expectations and doesn't require any support at all. There are few action packed sequences and whistle-blowing dialogues that can only come out of a fanboy's perspective and this is the key that makes the feature stand alone in its franchise. The choreography too has improved a lot and so has the meddling of the emotions among the characters that is done well within shorter runtime of almost 100 minutes that helps factor in on its favor. Firstful Of Dollars is more than a handful and even though its reach for something more colossal that its potential fails in here, it still grasps a whole lot of popcorn fun in here.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
GrantD243May 12, 2018
It may have a simple story and a rather short runtime, but I find the story incredibly enjoyable, and Clint Eastwood's the Man with No Name character is truly the perfect Western gunslinger character. Some of the gunplay hasn't necessarilyIt may have a simple story and a rather short runtime, but I find the story incredibly enjoyable, and Clint Eastwood's the Man with No Name character is truly the perfect Western gunslinger character. Some of the gunplay hasn't necessarily aged all that well, but I'm willing to look past that at this point. A Fistful of Dollars may not be the greatest Western of all-time, but it's up there for me.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
ahmedaiman1999Apr 20, 2019
The final duel is simply one of the tensest final scenes I've ever seen! But aside from it, the shootouts and gun fights are surprisingly boring, monotonous, and unvaried. One the other hand, the action and fight scenes that don't featureThe final duel is simply one of the tensest final scenes I've ever seen! But aside from it, the shootouts and gun fights are surprisingly boring, monotonous, and unvaried. One the other hand, the action and fight scenes that don't feature guns are so much fun, especially since Leone's style of camerawork and direction here are their best. I'm not exaggerating or anything; but A Fistful of Dollars really has some of the most inventive, and some of the coolest, camerawork and editing scenes I've seen in a Western film.

I haven't seen Kurosawa's Yojimbo yet; but I really liked the story of this film. It's a story full of surprises, and twist and turns that kept me quite engaged and engrossed most of the time. While the movie has its slow parts, and the plot doesn't evolve very smoothly; it gets messy and muddled halfway through, A Fistful of Dollars's story never loses its track. The movie also feels somewhat heavy-handed at times, largely because the dialogue gets clumsy and overly expository at moments.

I could have never imagined any actor who can be perfectly fit for this role as Clint Eastwood. He is as charismatic, bad-ass and tough as ever as the central character, Joe, and this was quite important, since this movie has this kind of story that focuses primarily on one protagonist (this is my favorite kind, btw).

Overall, Per un pugno di dollari is yet another great Leone Western that makes me excited to keep exploring his small but very solid filmography.

(8/10)… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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10
MoviezNPApr 12, 2019
Some films are not the greatest films in the genre. They are the f**king trendsetters. This movie is one of them. And, there's much more to it other than being a trendsetter. .
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Good : Holy s**t, am I supposed to say something good aboutSome films are not the greatest films in the genre. They are the f**king trendsetters. This movie is one of them. And, there's much more to it other than being a trendsetter. .
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Good : Holy s**t, am I supposed to say something good about this film? There are no words to describe the greatness of a film that started it all. Let's speak in retrospect. Before this movie, the word "Spaghetti Western" wasn't even around. This movie gave us the word, and made it popular. There have been really great Westerns before this, and many cheesy and nosy ones. The greats are always the greats, but it took a lot of risk and did many things in contrast to the nosy and cheesy ones. It had a protagonist, who was characterized as someone similar to the bad guys. Obviously, he did things only against bad guys, but that's the only part of his characterization that separated him from them. Also, he was shown to be a mysterious, and somewhat vulnerable, person in contrast to the messiahs of typical American Westerns. Plus, it had some suspenseful and believable violence for delivering the usual "triumph of good over evil" in the end. And most importantly, all of these worked in this movie. It isn't an awkward Italian styled Western, it is very much relatable to the great older Westerns. Yet, it easily shines out as a uniquely distinct film. It popularized an entire subgenre of films, which is a very difficult task to do. Other than that, the movie made Clint Eastwood a star. Everyone is familiar with his level of stardom. He is arguably the biggest star of American film industry. It was all because of this movie. And Clint went on to make many great films, including Westerns, himself. This would've never been possible if he wasn't a star, which was due to this movie. It gave us a perfect combo of Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone, which would improve over time. Speaking of the story, you can say that it's a typical story. But the beauty is in the way it was told - with suspense, music and violence. Eastwood's character feels like the same character that we see in the next two films of this trilogy. That gives a feel of continuity among these films, even though a very less of it is to be expected. He f**ks up bad guys, but never would he put his hands on the innocents. There are quite a few moments which prove that he is compassionate and clever. That is what has been shown in the other two films. .
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Mixed : Reconsidering it on the present day, there have been many improvements over this. It's certainly not better than The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I am a huge fan of Sergio Leone. I love his way of visual storytelling. He excelled in this aspect in his latter films. So, it feels a little weak compared to other of his films. It feels experimental in a few parts, as if Leone was trying to figure out what to do. .
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Conclusion : A must watch for Western fans! It may not be as great as other iconic Westerns, but in retrospect, it's one of the greatest films ever made. Eastwood is a badass and full of testosterone. The "three coffins ready" scene is, in my opinion, the best "testosterone scene" he has ever been in. .
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Rating. .
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Score : absolute 10/10
Grade : golden A+… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
zNeverSleepingJul 14, 2020
Aqui está uma obra surpreendente sobre faroeste.

A trama é simples, porém a riqueza dos personagens deixa tudo mais intrigante. A personalidade do protagonista é no minimo cativadora. Você sabe que ele é esperto, sabe do que ele é capaz - sóAqui está uma obra surpreendente sobre faroeste.

A trama é simples, porém a riqueza dos personagens deixa tudo mais intrigante. A personalidade do protagonista é no minimo cativadora. Você sabe que ele é esperto, sabe do que ele é capaz - só pelo olhar do mesmo, muitas vezes -, mas não sabe como ele vai fazê-lo.

A cinematografia é muito moderna e ao mesmo tempo característica. O plano aberto, para indicar o desafio. Primeiríssimo plano, que aumenta a tensão passando a câmera um por um até o combate. O plano detalhe, que não tem medo em buscar os olhos e maximizar ao máximo o sentimento do ator - principalmente nos momentos de surpresa. O Contra-Plongée também é muito bem utilizado, que junto ao plano americano, caracterizam muito a obra e criam um ar único.

A ambientação como um todo é excelente. O figurino está de parabéns, principalmente pela roupa do protagonista, que é quase um contraste do que há ao seu redor. Com tudo isso dito, devo dizer que o que mais me chamou atenção na obra foi sua trilha sonora. Sinto muita falta da criatividade no que se diz respeito a OST nos filmes. Antes essa ideia era muito utilizada, e aqui ela funciona de maneira magnifica. A ost que toca em diversos momentos do filme aumenta a tensão, define o gênero e fica na nossa memoria por até mesmo décadas - dependendo de quão marcante for.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
CameJun 29, 2019
A good western with an interesting story on how a man uses to rival families to gain money for himself. It has things that you would love from a western film like shootouts and bandits for example. This is by the way considered as one of theA good western with an interesting story on how a man uses to rival families to gain money for himself. It has things that you would love from a western film like shootouts and bandits for example. This is by the way considered as one of the best western films.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
DawdlingPoetNov 20, 2021
I liked the music featured - the famous score by Ennio Morricone, which certainly does add atmosphere and tension to the relevant scenes, as well as highlighting the isolated, somewhat desolate surroundings. Easwtood does, of course, play theI liked the music featured - the famous score by Ennio Morricone, which certainly does add atmosphere and tension to the relevant scenes, as well as highlighting the isolated, somewhat desolate surroundings. Easwtood does, of course, play the very sly and laidback man with no name, although his character is referred to briefly as 'Joe'. Some scenes are rather slow paced and thus may put off some but the confrontation/fight scenes are, obviously, the opposite - there's a real frenetic energy which energised me while watching.

I liked that it has a more budget feel to it - that its clearly not a Hollywood film, featuring characters of different ethnicities/nationalities, the visually grainier feel to the shots and so on. Also the very bright red blood used didn't seem esp. realistic but I suppose there is a certain charm to that somehow.

I can understand the appeal of this film, its one of those whereby characters can say more in their moments of silence, via their facial expressions than by dialogue, so suffice to say I'd certainly recommend this film to fans of Westerns, more specifically Spaghetti Westerns (if you haven't seen it already).… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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9
RobwinzJun 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this one a lot, the movie's got a good plot and Clint Eastwood gives a really good performance throughout as usual. Also, I really liked the fight scenes which he had throughout this movie, they were very clever and amazinglyI really enjoyed this one a lot, the movie's got a good plot and Clint Eastwood gives a really good performance throughout as usual. Also, I really liked the fight scenes which he had throughout this movie, they were very clever and amazingly done. I especially enjoyed the end gun fight scene, I love that scene so much. Overall, it's a great western with a good plot and a great amount of action throughout, worth the watch.… Expand
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10
Sidewind_BillyJun 27, 2020
Timeless classic, can watch several times and its always as good as the first time.
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7
Cementer200Sep 28, 2020
A Fistful of Dollars is a good movie. The plot is average the characters are unique in there own ways.
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10
geewahJun 19, 2021
A timeless classic.
A ground breaking movie full of swagger that builds what is relative simple story to a brilliant and climactic end.
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8
AJ_13May 28, 2021
Simple plot, but sometimes less is more. Morricone, Leone and Eastwood really shine on this one.
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