In 1964, Italian director Sergio Leone redefined the Western with A Fistful of {Dollars}. Eschewing the comparatively simplistic morality tales of earlier Westerns, Leone’s central gunslinger wasn’t a noble hero, however an opportunistic cad who makes use of two rival factions in an Previous West city in opposition to one another to be able to rating a giant payday. Regardless of the ethical complexity of all of it — or, extra probably, due to it — the movie turned a global success and proved that audiences had been prepared for a brand new sort of Western, that People now not had a monopoly on the style, and that Clint Eastwood was a bankable star exterior of tv.
Then, only a 12 months later, Leone managed to prime himself.
1965’s For a Few {Dollars} Extra sees Clint Eastwood return as “The Man with No Title” (although that title was extra of a advertising and marketing factor, as he’s referred to as “Manco” on this film and “Joe” within the earlier one, despite the fact that they’re the identical character). Manco is a bounty hunter on the path of ruthless, murderous financial institution robber El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté), who was simply damaged out of jail by his gang of thieves. Additionally on Indio’s path is Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef), one other bounty hunter who’s vastly totally different from Manco. Whereas Manco is instinctive and tough across the edges, Mortimer is extra chilly and exact.
Regardless of their variations and mistrust for one another, Manco and Mortimer forge an uneasy alliance to take Indio down collectively. The duo hatches a plan the place each of them, individually, will be a part of the ranks of Indio’s gang to be able to achieve his belief and take him down, claiming the reward and splitting it. However an even bigger potential payday comes into the image after Indio efficiently pulls off a giant financial institution job and stashes the money till the warmth is off of them. Because of this, Manco and Mortimer set their sights on the stash and the bounty.
What’s nice about For a Few {Dollars} Extra is the film’s deep ethical complexity. Whereas A Fistful of {Dollars} helped break the mould with a multifaceted protagonist, each single character in For a Few {Dollars} Extra is sophisticated. Eastwood’s Manco continues to be the identical gruff, alluring opportunist he was within the earlier film, however one other layer is added when he companions with the opposite bounty hunter, Mortimer. The 2 of them have a very natural arc the place they every achieve a mutual respect for each other all through the movie. It’s nearly similar to a “buddy cop” dynamic, not as a result of it’s humorous, however as a result of it is an unlikely pairing that goes from them sizing one another as much as them changing into true companions who worth one another’s strengths. Mortimer can be an amazing character in his personal proper, as he’s clearly hiding one thing all through the movie. Solely on the very finish will we be taught his true motivations for searching down Indio.
As a villain, Indio can be remarkably advanced. Leone and actor Gian Maria Volonté crafted a villain that was extra tortured than a typical Western unhealthy man. All through the film, he carries round a pocket watch with a girl’s face on it. She had been one in all his victims and she or he’d killed herself whereas he was raping her. The watch performs an eerie musical tune that Indio makes use of to rely down the time when he duels. He’s additionally on medication all through a lot of the film, placing him in a daze, although he’s nonetheless able to flashes of rage and violence. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the character’s complexities make him sympathetic, as he’s a monster within the film and is portrayed as such, however the layers make him appear extra actual and extra unpredictable.
For a Few {Dollars} Extra was greenlit off of the success of the primary movie and was given a a lot bigger funds ($600,000 vs. about $200,000 for A Fistful of {Dollars}). Because of this, the second film simply appears a complete lot larger in scale. Whereas A Fistful of {Dollars} was principally restricted to huge empty desertscapes and a small frontier city with solely a handful of buildings, For a Few {Dollars} Extra explores the significantly bigger city of El Paso, which is a formidable set for a frontier city constructed for the movie that also stands at present as a vacationer attraction in Spain, the place a lot of the movie was shot. There’s additionally extra motion and extra folks round, making El Paso seem to be an even bigger place than A Fistful of {Dollars}’ San Miguel.
For a Few {Dollars} Extra went on to develop into an excellent larger success, too. The primary film pulled in nearly $20 million and the sequel improved on that by making $25 million. Remarkably, Leone and Eastwood would repeat the success for a 3rd and closing time only one 12 months later with The Good, the Dangerous and the Ugly. The third movie was made for simply over $1 million and grossed practically $40 million. It was additionally larger, extra epic, extra advanced, and finally extra well-known. However The Good, the Dangerous and the Ugly wouldn’t be the success it was with out For a Few {Dollars} Extra, which is why For a Few {Dollars} Extra is price catching whereas it may be considered at no cost on-line.
For a Few {Dollars} Extra is free to stream on YouTube, Roku, and Kanopy.