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Writer's pictureSohan Sahoo

Fistful of Dollars: The Seminal Movie that Changed Westerns

Updated: Feb 23, 2023


Reviews by:

  • @s.sohan2005

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Fistful Of Dollars is a landmark Sphagetti Western. Fistful Of Dollars is a morally disillusionized revival of the American west with its storytelling tropes and themes. It is not a glorified depiction of men having murky morales gunning down people like the 40's and '50s with John Wayne, Henry Fonda, etc but a downright gritty and realistic depiction of the Wild Wild West. This movie is also an unsanctioned remake of Kurosawa's seminal Samurai movie called Yojimbo which is a great movie and depiction of Asian culture.


The direction by Sergio Leone is detailed and precise and has iconic imagery filled to the brim. The iconic Leone closeup shots are iconic even after 50 years. The cinematography by Massimo Dallamano is splendid and expresses the style of the American Wild West through the usage of wide shots. The style in this movie is exceptional and elevates the movie to a whole new level. The closeups are dramatic and gives focus to the story and the characters.


Fistful Of Dollars is iconic for its star Clint Eastwood being his first outing in a Spaghetti Western as a bounty hunter. Clint Eastwood plays the likable yet badass and dangerous bounty hunter to perfection and creates a nice balance between the two qualities of his character and brings it to life in perfection. Gian Maria Volonte is a great antagonist to Clint Eastwood's protagonist as the cunning and dangerous gang leader. The acting is great across the board and pretty solid.


The suspense through the direction of Sergio Leone is palpable throughout the movie. Its striking iconography is prevalent throughout the movie. The music by Ennio Morricone is splendid and it's an iconic staple for the Spaghetti Western genre which is used through classical foreign instruments such as classified harmonica, Jew's harp, mariachi trumpets, and ocarina.


Overall Fistful Of Dollars is a seminal Western movie which is prevalent of style despite having servicable characters and servicable story but the style is impeccable and is a precursor to Leone's later movies which are eventually masterpieces.



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