For a Few Dollars More (1965) August 15, 2007
Posted by Cal in : Action, Non-Asian, 1960s films , trackbackDirector: Sergio Leone Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volantè Territory: Italy
The success of A Fistful of Dollars is stamped all over this sequel. Instead of the whole film taking place in one small location, we get several (apparently, one of the town sets built for the film still stands to this day!). There are more extras, there’s more colour to the script, and most tellingly of all, Leone was now able to hire two American actors.
For a Few Dollars More tells the story of two bounty hunters (Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef) who travel the country blagging criminals. When a jailbreak frees a particularly dangerous criminal, El Indio (Volantè), the two team up to take him and his gang down. El Indio wastes no time upon his early release and immediately plans a daring bank raid, with the two bounty hunters in tow.
The extended scope of this sequel really does help the film, and the tale of bank raids, jailbreaks and bounty hunters is pretty compelling, especially when tempered with the same wry humour from the original. Some of the cast from A Fistful of Dollars return but in different roles, which can be a little confusing. Heading the cast of baddies is again Gian Maria Volantè as El Indio – a man apparently suffering from a severe dependence on marijuana, but who is a deadly shot and a crazed loon thanks to a painful past. His particular fetish is to challenge unfortunate souls to a duel using the last chime of his pocket-watch as a signal to begin.
The Man With No Name (although some call him “Monco”) has developed a little from A Fistful of Dollars and is now a slightly more moral character, in that he has a more pronounced sense of justice. He’s also less laconic and more prone to deliver the odd wisecrack.
Lee Van Cleef’s addition to the cast as the chilled, pipe-smoking veteran Col Mortimer gives Eastwood someone to play off, and the pair trade one-liners effectively. He’s given some nice scenes by himself; most notably his introduction right at the start of the film involving his train making an impromptu stop. Also, there’s an early appearance by a twitchy Klaus Kinski as one of Indio’s gang.
Again, the direction and cinematography is strong. One standout scene takes place at night and involves a battle of wills and a game of one-upmanship between Van Cleef and Eastwood, involving the shooting of a stationery hat across a dirt floor. The way the hat always lands in thin bands of light cast by neighbouring buildings is quite inventive and stylish.
As in the previous film, Morricone provides the score. While not as memorable as the previous instalment (and certainly nowhere near as identifiable as the next instalment) it serves the piece well.
Overall, definitely a worthy sequel, but one that seems overshadowed by both the originality of A Fistful of Dollars and the epic adventure of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
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