A Fistful Of Dollars (1964) ****

A Fistful Of Dollars (1964), like The Magnificent Seven (review) four years earlier, is a western based on an Akira Kurosawa film—in this case Yojimbo (1961), itself influenced by westerns (John Ford's in particular). Sergio Leone made a bang with his second film, but would certainly hone and improve his style across his remaining five films (not including films for which he did not receive a directing credit).

This is also the film that propelled Ennio Morricone into the spotlight as an in-demand composer of Italian films—particularly the yet to be dubbed "Spaghetti Western," which this film, for better or worse, helped launch. His score is unique, memorable, and perfectly compliments Leone's style.

The first film in the Dollars Trilogy (I prefer to refer to the films this way, as opposed to the Man With No Name Trilogy, as Clint Eastwood's character is called Joe here) is my least favorite, but is a thoroughly enjoyable classic nonetheless (my reviews for the second and third films here and here).

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