Rating: 
Summary: Aesthetic, artistic, existential....A LANDMARK!
Review: I remember not long ago, there was a time when westerns made me gag... In my eyes, if John Wayne defined this genre, not a single film was worth watching.... Then I saw "High Plains Drifter" and I was TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY (nice pun, huh?)...... I fell in love with the Clint Eastwood western, and he became my Western Icon. I HAD to watch the Man With No Name trilogy that I had heard so much about... and I was NOT dissapointed....If you are a true film lover, and if you appreciate film as the artisitic form of expression that it is, then you love the Man with No Name trilogy with every fiber of your being, and it's opening chapter, "A Fistful of Dollars" will grab you by your neck and draw you into the world of Sergio Leone "spaghetti" westerns. Eastwood is the aesthetic hero, the existential wanderer motivated by pure self-interest...but he has his own code of honor which he upholds... He is the reincarnation of every solitary warrior that has ever ridden in every age of history. And with his entrancing and supremely fatal skill, he leads us through the desolate landscape of the REAL American frontier; This time we're entrenched in a feud between two rival gangs in a small Mexican ramshackle border village known as San Miguel. As the shopkeeper says "Every woman is a widow"...the only people with jobs are the bell-ringer, who tolls for the dead, and the eccentric old coffin-maker.... Gian Maria Volonte is superb as the murderous Ramon, a person who must have been typical in his day. This hypnotic film will make you drool for it's sequels, "For a Few Dollars More" (my favorite of the three) and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". It is a true landmark film, unlike anything you have ever seen. Even the title sequence is enticing! DVD Verison: While the picture quality is far superior to any VHS version, and I imagine, even better than the picture quality of the original theatrical release, it's still not up to par with more modern films. It's the best you can get from this film, though (remember, it was very low-budget!) As for the sound, it is quite bad when compared to other DVDs. But again, that's the low-budget of the original sound on the original version. But I imagine that this is the best you can get out of the sound quality for this film. It certainly doesn't take away from your film experience, though!
Rating:
Summary: The film that started a career
Review: A Fistful of Dollars is the first of the classic Sergio Leone Dollars trilogy and also the film that helped skyrocket Clint Eastwood to the top. Borrowed from a Akira Kurosawa film, the story centers around a gunman who appears in a town with two rival families trying to control everything. For his own profit, the gunman begins to play both families until finally it all blows up in a huge gunfight. This is a classic spaghetti western that should not be missed. The whole genre is different from the often idealized hero portrayed in American westerns. The spaghetti westerns threw all the cliches on their side and instead used their own including the anti-hero, extreme close-ups, sadistic villains, and eerie musical soundtracks. Clint Eastwood plays the role of the Man with no Name, even though he is called "Joe" in this one. His squinting, cigar-chomping gunman set the stage for westerns from then all the way until now. Gina Maria Volonte stars as the violent leader of the Rojo family. In the DVD check out the credits. Almost all the names of the Italian actors were changed for the American release. Volonte would later return in For a Few Dollars more as the evil Indio. The rest of the cast consists mainly of spaghetti western regulars, most notably Mario Brega. Once again Ennio Morricone gives us another haunting soundtrack that must be mentioned when talking about these movies. The DVD is relatively cheap but still offers fullscreen and widescreen, great theatrical trailer, and a booklet full of interesting information. A must have for fans of spaghetti westerns!
Rating:
Summary: Might be the best of the Spaghetti's
Review: This film has as much chutzpah as the first record albums from Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. As far as Western's go, director Sergio Leone abandoned all the Hollywood cliches and makeup artists to make a film that stands as the grittiest of all the Westerns, and since Westerns are about grit, I think this one is the best. Clint Eastwood's dialogue is as sparse as in the other "Dollar" movies, and although this film is shorter than the other two (The Good the Bad and the Ugly, For a Few Dollars More) I think Clint has more memorable lines, and certainly his most memorable -- "My mule don't like people laughin'..." Meanwhile, Gian Maria Volonte's diabolically empassioned performance as the cruel "town boss" Ramon Rojo is truly memorable, displaying why he is as popular in Italy as Clint is in America. Ennio Morricone's film score is as great as you would expect, and I could say more about this film but other reviewers have done some excellent work. I just wanted to say that I rate this one slightly above The Good the Bad and the Ugly; both of these a half-tick better than A Few Dollars More, but all three are better than any Hollywood western you are ever likely to see.
Rating:
Summary: A Fistful Of Dollars
Review: When a dangerous drifter (Clint Eastwood) is passing through a lawless town with two rival gangs fighting, he finds himself hired by both gangs (most likely because of his accuracy in shooting three bullies as he entered), and decides to take both jobs. As his currency rises (as the title implies), his cover is eventually blown, leaving the nameless drifter to fight for his life. This western remake of Akria Kurosawa's samurai classic, "Yojimbo" is highly enjoyable and a deviation from most light-hearted western films that came before it (this was one of the first spaghetti western films). With it's fast-paced violent action and darkly humorous dialogue, "Fistful Of Dollars" is a classic. If you don't usually enjoy western films but do enjoy action films, you should see this. If you liked "Yojimbo", this may spark your interest as well. If you liked this film, I would also recommend "Last Man Standing" with Bruce Willis (it's an updated "Fistful Of Dollars") Overall rating: 5 stars Although this film was originally unrated, the MPPA gave it an R-rating with the special edition in the 1990's. This is probably because the film contains stylized violence including a graphic beating, and minimal language.
Rating:
Summary: Great Eastwood,Leone spaghetti western
Review: A Fistful of Dollars is a great western.It stars Clint Eastwood,and was directed by Sergio Leone,who also directed the excellent westerns For a Few Dollars More;The Good,the Bad,and the Ugly;and Once Upon a Time in the West.Eastwood plays a drifter who comes to a small Mexican town run by two separate families-the Rojos and the Baxters,and he plays both sides.(he makes a great deal of money in the process!)I won't say anymore about the plot.The film was made on a very small budget,but Leone did an excellent job with what he had to work with.The musical score by Ennio Morricone(under the name Dan Savio)is outstanding,nobody scores a western,spaghetti or otherwise,like him!This film was a remake of a Japanese film called Yojimbo,I think,but I've never seen it before.It was also remade a few years ago,starring Bruce Willis,called Last Man Standing,and that wasn't as good as A Fistful of Dollars,but it wasn't bad.Overall,A Fistful of Dollars ranks very high on my list of favorite westerns.I'd really like to get this film on DVD sometime,because my VHS copy is about twelve years old and is showing some wear!Besides,I think this film would be better viewed in the widescreen format.
Rating:
Summary: A Fistful of Dollars - A true genre classic!
Review: A Fistful of Dollars is truly one of the big classics in the western genre and one that began a newer, better style of western films. First in a string of Clint Eastwood's "spaghetti" westerns, it has a style and cinematic class all to itself. This is where Clint Eastwood began his style of western hero who doesn't say much, but gets his point across through his facial expressions and of course his actions, more specifically with his six shooter at his side. The premise: Clint Eastwood plays "the man with no name" other than the name given to him by one of the characters in the film, Joe. In what is now a classic style, he rides into town on a mule and witnesses the brutality of the town bullies. Without saying a word to them, they harass him and he calmly goes into one of the town bars, has some food and listens to what the bar owner has to tell him about the town's situation. He casually decides to stay and do something about the entire situation, walks out and takes out four of the bad guys. What follows from there is such an outstanding film that is fraught with a certain degree of humor as he deftly plays both sides against his middle and walks away with "A Fistful of Dollars." If you're a fan of the western genre and haven't seen this classic, I highly suggest you pick this DVD up. Some might be put off by the age of this movie, that is simply not the case though as this movie is timeless. Despite the fact that it was made in Spain, with many European actors and in a foreign language, it's just pure fun! The DVD: Given today's almighty DVD's where there is every sort of special/extra feature that a fan can imagine, this one is your meat and potato's kind. It has the movie, a great theatrical trailer and a booklet. It is nice and simple, with not too much to get wrapped around other than the outstanding movie within. The booklet is an extremely interesting read, giving some facts for the movie I wasn't aware of. {ssintrepid}
Rating:
Summary: An atmospheric classic!
Review: Sergio Leone gives us an atmospheric, unflinchingly graphic update of the Akira Kurosawa classic Yojimbo. This time, on the other hand, the backdrop is the Old West and not feudal Japan. Clint Eastwood stars as the infamous "man with no name," a gun-for-hire who arrives into a town being ripped apart by two feuding families-the Baxters and the Rojos. Instead of leaving like the local bartender suggests, Eastwood sets up a plan to destroy both families with the help of his .45 pistol. The realism of this film is astounding, no death-defying heroism is shown, no one taking a bullet and surviving(there is one exception to this, but I don't want to give anything away).
Eastwood creates an unforgettable image in his first collaboration with director Leone, who later directed classic westerns such as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and Once Upon a Time in the West. The amazing fact is that this movie was rumored to have only cost two-hundred thousand dollars to make!
Rating:
Summary: yojimbo western style!
Review: I am a HUGE fan of Kurosawa and Leone. Both directors are quite unique and breakthrough. This film is not loosely based on Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" it's almost Scene for scene! just watch the opening of both films and you'll see how similar they are! Leone decided to pay homeage to "Yojimbo" with this film and it shows. Its NOT a rip off but pays homeage in the way it should be! I don't look at this film as my "favorite" because there are two more in the series and it feels more like one big film starting with this and moving to "For a few dollars more" and finishing with "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". Each film is watchable alone but one after the other makes them all the more enjoyable. This is a classic film in every way, the acting, the directing and cinematography. Some deem this a "cheapo film" but just because it was low budget doesn't mean its not fantastic! Its a classic and incredible in EVERY way!
Rating:
Summary: one of the best westerns ever
Review: The three 'fistful' movies are some of the most masculine movies ever made! Rugged men , wild settings and great music mark these as complete classics! Sergio sates (see the DVD insert)' The west was made by strong men... that has gotten lost in the westerns I have seen .. That is why I make my movies with strong men..' If you like these fistful type movies I would strongly recommend that you watch the 'Rawhide' television series. The hour long format of the show allows powerful stories to unfold. It's different from the style of these 'fistful' movies, but it is similar in that it is first class all the way and in addition to Clint who is 'Rowdy' there is Eric Fleming who is absolutely amazing and takes the series to a level that will probably never be matched again.
Rating: 
Summary: Legendary and classic western; one of the best ever
Review: Not many moviegoers have missed Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of Dollars" (released in Italy as "Per un pugno di dollari" in 1964 and in the U.S. as the forementioned title in 1967), nor can they afford to. Combining excellent directing, a great score, unforgettable acting and a script that lasts 'till the end, it's definitely a top-notch film, not to mention one of the best ever. Eastwood is great as the Man With No Name, who journeys into a town ruled by two warring bands. Joining both and leading them to fight each other is just one of the many tasks the MWNN must face. Truly a classic and now a legend, it's a gritty masterpiece that was later followed by two sequels (the third is actually a prequel). Definitely recommended.
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