A Fistful of Dollars is a 1964 film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. This film is known to be one of the earliest spaghetti westerns and helped define the genre that would be distinguished from the classic Western genre by violence, sadism, bloodshed, and human viciousness.

Plot

The story follows a nameless gunslinger known as "The Man with No Name" (played by Clint Eastwood) who arrives in a Mexican border town divided between two rival gangs: the Rojos and the Baxters. The Man with No Name quickly discovers that the town is dominated by crude violence and corruption.

Exploiting the rivalry between the two gangs, The Man with No Name begins to play one side against the other, seeking to profit from the situation. He allies himself with Marisol (played by Marianne Koch), a woman victimized by the feuds between the gangs, and attempts to undermine both factions.

The film is characterized by epic gunfights, betrayals, and deception as The Man with No Name seeks to defeat both the Rojos and the Baxters. The plot is partially based on Akira Kurosawa's classic film "Yojimbo."

"A Fistful of Dollars" has become an icon of the Western genre and helped launch Clint Eastwood's career as an actor. Its iconic score composed by Ennio Morricone helped define the spaghetti Western genre.

Complete Cast:

• Clint Eastwood as Joe (The Man with No Name)
• Marianne Koch as Marisol
• Gian Maria Volonté as Ramón Rojo
• Wolfgang Lukschy as John Baxter
• Sieghardt Rupp as Esteban Rojo
• Joseph Egger as Piripero
• Antonio Prieto as Don Miguel Rojo
• José Calvo as Silvanito

Director: Sergio Leone

Producer: Arrigo Colombo, Giorgio Papi

Writer: Sergio Leone, Víctor Andrés Catena, Jaime Comas Gil (inspired by "Yojimbo" by Akira Kurosawa)

Music by: Ennio Morricone (credited as Dan Savio)

Cinematographer: Massimo Dallamano, Federico G. Larraya

Production Cost: Approximately $200,000.

Box Office: Approximately $14.5 million worldwide at the box office.

Awards: It did not win major awards but is recognized as a revolutionary film in the western genre.

Critics' Reception

A Fistful of Dollars is considered a masterpiece of the Spaghetti Western genre and one of Sergio Leone's most influential films. It was praised for its innovative direction, Ennio Morricone's soundtrack, and Clint Eastwood's iconic performance. The film is known for introducing a grittier, more violent style to the western genre and influencing numerous subsequent films.

My opinion

To the good feelings, loyal behavior, and better ideals of life shown in classic Westerns , this film replaced what had never been seen in the Western film genre before: sadism, badness in the extreme, blood, and exaggerated violence. With these characteristics it grossed a lot of money, showed how degraded the human soul can be, and paved the way for a number of strands of cinema that imitated it. A fine example....

Iconic Morricone's music and Eastwood's performance. 

It rightly received no awards...and that seems fair. It turned the dream machine into the nightmare machine.