3) The Dollars Trilogy (“The Man With No Name”) (1964-1966)
The Movies: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For A Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964) (Dir. Sergio Leone)
Sergio Leone made his name with this reworking of Japanese samurai flick Yojimbo, and it’s not difficult to see why: Clint Eastwood stars as the infamous “Man With No Name” in this tight, violent western that’s packed to the brim with visual flair, and is home to a superbly iconic Ennio Morricone soundtrack. A Fistful of Dollars sees Leone planting seeds as the master filmmaker he was born to be – this may not be as polished as his future westerns, but all the fast zooms and brilliant compositions on show here would remains staples of his work for the rest of his career. (4.0/5)
For A Few Dollars More (1965) (Dir. Sergio Leone)
This time around, Leone granted Eastwood a rival who could match him in Lee Van Cleef, giving an added layer to For A Few Dollars More lacking in the original: that of a friendly rivalry. One of the best “team-up” westerns ever made, Leone’s second Eastwood movie improves on the first in almost every aspect: everything is tighter, more defined and better assured, showing that the Italian director had finally honed his skills (and just a year later!). Above all, For A Few Dollars More is a genuinely artful piece of filmmaking, a movie that manages to somehow acknowledge and surpass its cheap, pulpy origins in exchange for something more. (4.5/5)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) (Dir. Sergio Leone)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the defining work of Sergio Leone’s career, and is without a doubt one of the best motion pictures ever made. Using all the skills attained during the making of previous entries in his “Man With No Name” series, Leone delivered a movie ten times as epic (and ambitious) as any project he had tackled before. Nothing goes into the picture with precise thought and calculation, and it’s here that Leone’s power as a storyteller comes fully-fledged too. The soundtrack is perhaps the greatest in cinematic history, once again composed by Italian maestro Ennio Morricone. A fantastic and beautiful picture, this is a work that feels totally earned having invested time in its loosely-linked prequels. A masterpiece. (5.0/5)
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