Note: Some of the words are meant to be italicized, but since there's some malfunction on the site while I was copying my draft and retyping it here, I only used bold or underlines on the words (and some are not ) to save time.
Regarding this, yours truly, must admit that I only heard a “few” about the Western. Not totally very few, but it is too few for those who knows a lot about it. I heard it from Bone Thugs’ Ghetto Cowboy and saw one cowboy on The Toy Story (Woody), yet what lured me into these cowboy stuffs is Clint Eastwood.
Actually, the first Clint Eastwood movie I’ve watched was Gran Torino, very far from the cowboy characters where he first started with. Being a fan eventually lead me to watching The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I heard the song first on an album my father played, I never knew it actually came from a movie.
So, I started off with the descending chronological order of the movies in watching. First, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, next A Few Dollars More, and lastly, A Fistful of Dollars.
The following are my sound review about the three movies, starting off with the first among the trilogy: A Fistful of Dollars.
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964)
Which is faster: a
pistol or a rifle?
That is one of the things that this first installment of the
trilogy got in store. The Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) suddenly appears at
San Miguel, took a drink and stays at the town where people only get rich from
two things: liquor and guns. You either leave the town rich or dead.
What’s more reason that number two is so significant in this
town? It’s got two bosses— the Baxters and the Rojos. These rival clans kept
the town imbalanced. Why not? The one wants peace, even peace through violence,
and the other wants violence for self-profit.
With the Rojos over there, and the Baxters over here, the
Man with No Name decides to stay in the middle. Could he still stay in his
position if the two clans joined forces? Or was the merge just a fraud to cover
up a crime? Watch out on how he outsmarts the gringos and saves a family in
danger of being separated for good.
Rate: 5/5
For me, the whole plot of the movie is well-written,
deliciously Western especially with some Spanish in the dialogues, the whole
set-up is so Western, not a thing out of place, even the features of the casts
fits for the Western people.
Their performance in the movie is clean, impressive, wasn’t
overly dramatic but still touches the emotion there is in the movie, although
personally, there is not that much emotion in the movie but simply wits. How
the Man with No Name outsmarts the rivaling clans is really, really cunning.
If emotions in the movie were to be discussed, yes, there is
a sting in me when I watch Marisol and Julio’s situation (the couple in the
movie), and a stronger sting in my heart watching Mrs. Baxter curse the Rojos
as they are being murdered during the fire— a curse so full of bitterness, pain
and wrath all mixed in the persona of the black veiled woman who always appear
so calm, steady and no visible emotions. There are parts where you’ll feel the sting
if you looked at the scene in depth, such as a friend’s loyalty, a longing for
a loved one, a sacrificial love… the movie has these.
It is intriguing what the Man with No Name’s past is. For in
the movie, he said it himself to Marisol and Julio that he knows someone who
has been in their situation too, which, for certain, that person is the Man
with No Name himself.
I have no complaints in this movie, in fact, not a scene
gave me a moment of boredom or dullness. It is action-packed, merciless killing
and bloodshed and fighting, but it has a heart in scenes which has sense of
humor, and emotions that are mostly deeply rooted from pain and misery. But
most of all, the smart arrangement of the movie’s story and how smart the Man
with No Name is, those really impressed me.
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965)
Two after one man.
The Man with No Name returns for the second movie of the
Spaghetti Western Trilogy: For a Few Dollars More.
“Where life had no value, death, sometimes, had its price.
That is why the bounty killers appeared.”
What’s a man got to do to earn more dollars? Of course, the
usual bounty hunting it is for the Man with No Name, but this time, killing has
to do not just with the money as Angel Eyes came to the scene to join our
nameless cowboy. Simply put, the Man with No Name wants the dollars, Colonel Douglas Mortimer a.k.a Angel Eyes
wants vengeance.
It is a brotherly vengeance for Angel Eyes— whose
brother-in-law was murdered and sister was almost raped but decided to suicide—
that drove him to set off and hunt their murderer, a wanted man named "El Indio" that the Man
with No Name-- Monco, is also after to earn a few dollars more.
But the two, with the heating bank robbery scheme of the man
they are after, decides to join forces in order to pin him down dead, and his
group— dead or alive.
A bank robbery, betrayals, pretense and vengeance— these and more are
in store in this Western movie.
Rate: 4/5
The plot and its twists are amazing, but a bit too
predictable for me. Although how the betrayal of each member of the bandits amazed me. What made Angel Eyes’ intention unpredictable is that it
was not made mention of, not a single clue was given, that it was to avenge the
death of his sister. As for the Man with No Name, it is predictable that he is
out to hunt and use his wits and guts for the money. But still, it is
well-written, I admire the great timing that each scene has, including the
right timing for the lead characters to meet and the coincidences that binds
them together to set on the mission with each other.
In comparison with the first movie, there is less emotion on
the second Spaghetti Western movie. It is an eye-opener on how wild the wild,
wild West is— power by position, power tripping, crimes, violence, even
violence against women and prostitution, bounty killing, vengeance... But then,
there is a strong emotional impact on the movie on the scene that flashbacks
the death of Angel Eyes’ sister— the feelings of jealousy, envy, desire to
kill, lust, surprising pain and desire to die.
But these did not make me love the trilogy any less. It
still has the elements of impressive wits and guts, action, some scenes are
funny (Clint Eastwood’s visit with the old man who lives by the railroad) and
of course, it is as Western as it should be.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)
It takes one man for
a fistful of dollars, two to earn a few dollars more, and three for more money
and a wild, wild, West experience.
The trilogy’s last film, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly has
made its remarkable masterpiece experience for its viewers, sealing the
Spaghetti Western movies’ last entry closed excellently.
Among the three, the third movie surely made a huge impact
and it is what people remember most in the trilogy up to this day.
It is the continuation of the adventure of the Man with No
Name (played by Clint Eastwood) who has to earn dollars for a living. Even a
sinner has a guardian angel, something we can relate to Angel Eyes’ dialogue in
the film, and so, the Man with No Name— a.k.a Blondie— serves as Tuco’s guardian
angel for a split of their earnings.
But then, all gets mixed up when Blondie breaks off the
deal. Now Tuco’s on a hunt for revenge to kill him!
Until the two, under not-so-favorable-circumstances, has to
work together to find Bill Carson’s money to have it for themselves, of course!
Tuco knows the cementery, Blondie knows the name of the grave. Too bad they
have to deal with Angel Eyes to get Bill Carson’s money too!
Rate: 5/5
First of all, I admire the plot and its twists. There is
really an adventure on the third movie for the characters are led to many
places, from the ordinary Western setting in the presence of wanted criminals
being hunted, hangings and saloons, they have been into different camps and
civil battles as captives then as dynamite planters, and finally, the graveyard
where the hunt for money begins and the battle for it ends there too.
As usual, Blondie used his gun, guts and wits to win the
game. It is what I admired about him the most, that cunning, smart-ass he is.
The three lead characters are representations of three kinds of people that you
mostly meet— the good, the bad and the ugly, of course! Can you determine who
the good people are? Who the bad ones are? Who are those with ugly personalities?
This movie might give you some clue!
Saddle up and ride on the action, the thrill and excitement
of this suspense adventure that leaves you clueless of what’s going to happen
next.
OVER-ALL REVIEW:
These insights and ratings about the movies are based on my own point-of-view or opinion. I highly recommend this movie for Western movie fans, of course. But then, these are also like a mind game for its viewers, so it does not always promise to be lively and kill anyone else every now and then— that’s where the suspense resides so be patient somehow.
One more thing, I have noticed that the movies have the same
actors who play a role in one film, different from the role they played on the
previous movie. Take Tuco’s brother on The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Pablito
as an example and his role on For A Few Dollars More as a thief. Of course, it
is impossible that he used to be a thief then changed his name and became a
priest since it is mentioned in TGTBATU that Pablito Ramirez had been also sent
away from his family to study for his priesthood. But hey! Isn't that a good strategy to for the movie to save on their budget, or let's say they must have targeted to be a low-budgeted film in order to earn bigger than their expenses? Now that sounds really wise! Another example of this instance is also "El Indio" in For a Few Dollars More and Ramon Rojo in A Fistful of Dollars.
Anyways, no need to be confused by that, since, in the movies,
you will never be really confused about these. In fact, as a viewer you might
give less attention to it.
Comparing among the three, it is easier to follow the track
of the story line of A Fistful of Dollars, beautifully made and more emotional.
If it is about A Few Dollars More, then you will be satisfied by how
action-packed it is, there are no such sappy moments and the charisma of Angel
Eyes and the Man with No Name, and their team-up is really strong in this
second movie of the trilogy. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, forever a
remarkable product of the Western movies, is stuffed with values, emotions,
actions and truly an adventure film full of unpredictability and a touch of
nostalgia from its scenes that seemed to be rooted from a part of American
history.
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