1965 • Directed by Sergio Leone
Screenplay by Leone, Luciano Vincenzoni, and three others
With Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Gian Maria Volont�
Released by United Artists
'Per qualche dollaro in pi�' AKA 'For A Few Dollars More' bears the curse of a middle sibling, overlooked while Sergio Leone's 'Fistful of Dollars' and mammoth-sized 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' draw wider attention. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since anyone who watches 'For A Few Dollars More' with lower expectations has a chance of being surprised. Realizing the success of his original film, Leone put considerably more work into his script and direction this time around. 'For A Few Dollars More,' co-written mainly by Leone and Luciano Vincenzoni, develops its characters to a fuller extent, is based on a more expansive scale, and uses technical aspects such as editing, music, and sound to form a more cohesive, almost symphonic plot line.
Once again, Leone does not specify a time for the action but names places in New Mexico and Texas. The story opens in Tucumcari, a small New Mexican town, where the Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood, called 'Monco' in this film) and former colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) arrive separately to ply their trade as bounty hunters. The men find wanted posters of El Indio (Gian Maria Volont�), a psychotic robber who is busted out of prison by his gang. Eastwood and Mortimer realize that the odds of a single man finishing off Indio's gang are slim; the men decide to work together and split $20,000 in reward money, should they walk away from the killings. Their plan to nab Indio at the central bank in El Paso fails, allowing him to get away with thousands of dollars and considerably upping the reward for his head. Eastwood and Mortimer lock horns as matters unfold, but wisely respect and depend upon each other's skills. We also learn that one of the bounty hunters carries a second and deeper-lying reason for tracking Indio down.
While Eastwood remains a solid presence as the Man With No Name, Lee Van Cleef is superb as Mortimer, a refined, dapper individual who can gunsling with the best of them. Mortimer puts Eastwood's character in striking relief, undoing much of the superhero element that impels 'Fistful of Dollars.' He forms a rugged pair with Eastwood and reminds us that even the best fighters can use some help. Gian Maria Volont� has the thankless job of dying in back-to-back films but gives excellent character work as a rogue who has surrendered to inner demons and holds no sanctity for human life. Other actors return from 'Fistful of Dollars,' including Joseph Egger (as Old Prophet), Benito Stefanelli (Luke), and Aldo Sambrell (Cuccillo). Cult icon Klaus Kinski also has a role as gang member Wild the Hunchback.
After shoe-stringing 'Fistful of Dollars,' Leone had a visibly larger budget in the second film. Again recorded in the Andaluc�a region of Spain, 'For A Few Dollars More' uses expansive outdoor settings and wide interiors while employing a larger cast and numerous extras. There is simply more room to work with and more things are going on, all presented in Leone's unique style. Leone shows greater confidence with his material, employing closeup, flashback, and deceptive angles quite liberally. The superior production values could only help cinematographer Massimo Dallamano, whose lens captured every nuance of the 'southwestern' heat. Ennio Morricone has great moments in 'Fistful of Dollars,' but the famed orchestrations come into their own during this sequel. By intermingling a large orchestra and chorus with aspects of the plot (especially the chimes of a stolen pocket watch), Morricone's score becomes a fourth main character who offers psychological insight.
Admittedly, 'For A Few Dollars More' is pure gold for those who love errors - there are obvious goofs such as playing cards that look too new for the 19th century, missing teeth that reappear, and ignored historical facts (Tucumcari, New Mexico, didn't exist until 1901). The dubbing is just as bad as in 'Fistful of Dollars,' if not worse; Eastwood's own voice is out of sync at times and the dubbing of non-English actors is terrible. However, these problems do nothing to spoil Leone's overlying effort. 'For A Few Dollars More' is an absorbing experience in the western genre, rivaled only by his 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' and 'Once Upon a Time in the West.' There are actually a large number of fans and critics who rate 'For A Few Dollars More' over 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' because of its shorter running time (131 minutes) and more concentrated development.
Western fans had a long stretch before the advent of DVD, when full frame VHS tapes and TV broadcasts robbed 'For A Few Dollars More' of its sharpness. MGM, who holds first rights to United Artists' library, released a DVD in 1998 that is closer to Leone's original vision. The disc, which is offered both individually and as part of a 'Man With No Name' boxed set, presents 'For A Few' in letterbox format (2.35:1) with Dolby enhancement of the original mono track; French 'dubbing' is offered with subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. 'For A Few Dollars More' has respectable print quality with only occasional grain and speckling; sound quality is very good, balancing dialogue, effects such as gunshots, and Morricone's ever-important score. The only extra is For A Few's trailer, which points out anglicized names taken by Volont� and Leone in 'Fistful of Dollars.' MGM has since released a two-DVD special edition with major restorations and supplements as part of the Sergio Leone Anthology. Either way, the film is highly recommended and a must for collectors.
