Dual Review- A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. Naturally.

I've got a dual review for you, folks. I don't usually do two reviews combined but unusual circumstances call for unusual measures. A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More are directed by Sergio Leone and star Clint Eastwood, two of the three films in the "Man With No Name" trilogy. So I'll give a review of both and then give a score of both of them at the end.

A Fistful of Dollars- The first film in the trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars is also a remake of the film Yojimbo, which was a Japanese film. So Clint Eastwood winds up in a town somewhere near the Mexican-American border. Of course, who isn't looking for money? Clint meets with the owner of the bar in town and finds out that there are two factions fighting against each other. He decides to work for both sides and ultimately pinning each one against each other all while making some money in the process. It's a very good story, more or less original. The better mark was cinematography and special effects, amazing for the time and still blew me away. Even better was the amazing score from Ennio Morricone, making some of the best scores of all time, and this was no exception. Altogether, A Fistful of Dollars was a great film, but I could still tell that Leone still had some improvements to make. I'd give this movie, individually, a 4.5/5.

For a Few Dollars More- Definitely the better of the two, For a Few Dollars More gave the illusion that it was a direct sequel to the first movie in the trilogy. That isn't true, in fact, there is no allusion to the first film at all. Weird, huh? Nevertheless, the story is even better than the first, following a lone bounty killer, Clint Eastwood, who decides to take out the wildest man in Texas, Indio, played fantastically by Gian Maria Volonte, for a hefty ten-thousand dollars. But he isn't the only one. Lee Van Cleef, another master killer, is out for Indio too. They decide to work together and share the bounty. Also, this film takes place all over Texas and New Mexico instead of just one town, like in the first. The shootouts are amazing, swift but action-packed. The score is better here as well, yet another from Ennio Morricone, but provides a more haunting undertone to go with the wild moments. Leone definitely learned from his mistakes and put in more tight angles, and better cinematography. I'd give this movie, individually, a 5/5.

The Verdict:
Leone and Eastwood both knew what they were doing, kings of the cinematic west. But with a few missteps here and there in A Fistful of Dollars it's not a must-see, but a should-see. For a Few Dollars More is much better and improvements were made, making it a better experience. Together, these two great films earned themselves a perfect 5/5.

I know what else you were thinking. Where's the review for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly? Well, I'm saving that one for a special review and I'm just as excited to see it as you are to read the review, right?