DVD Reviews

For a Few Dollars More – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Oct 18, 2011, 14:45 GMT

"The leading icon of a generation" (Roger Ebert), Academy Award(r) winner* Clint Eastwood continues his trademark role as the legendary "Man With No Name" in this second installment of the famous Sergio Leone trilogy. Scripted by Luciano Vincenzoni and featuring Ennio Morricone\'s haunting musical score, For A Few Dollars More is a modern classicone of the greatest Westerns evermade. Eastwood is a keen-eyed, quick-witted bounty hunter on the bloody trail ...more

A Fistful of Dollars made (wait for it) a fistful of dollars so it was decided to spend a few dollars more to make a few dollars more.  Happily so is the way of Hollywood, even if located in Italy.  This time round Clint is given a costar that is just as hard as he is and we’re thankful for it. 

Two bounty hunters, the man with no name (Clint Eastwood) and the man in black (Lee Van Cleef), go after the escaped outlaw Indio (Gian Maria Volonte) both for very different reasons.  Indio has other plans as he is going to stage a robbery.

The simplistic plot is carried along by the stars and director and the results are magic.  Eastwood and Leone had been elevated by the success of their first collaboration (the best was yet to come).  Into the mix was added a background actor who was relegated to playing henchmen with little lines thanks to his Mestophalian looks. 

The film would also make Lee Van Cleef a star in his own right and the perfect companion for Eastwood.  The two would bring a mentor and student/buddy film aspect to the film that still plays well.  I tend to gravitate more towards this film thanks to the way that the two characters expertly bounce off of one another.  The film also brings back Volonte as the pot smoking baddie. 

It’s a grand follow-up to Fistful of Dollars, but the best was yet to come in Leone’s masterwork.  Like Fistful, this film was part of a box set, a Target exclusive, and this release marks the first time it is available stand alone and generally available. 

For a Few Dollars More is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1).  Special features include a commentary by author/historian Sir Christopher Frayling, the 19 minute, high definition “Archives” segment where Frayling display his memorabilia from this film, (the rest in standard definition, unless noted) the 20 minute “A New Standard” where Frayling discusses the making of, the 7 minute “Back for More” has Eastwood recalling the film, the 11 minute “Tre Voci” has producer Alberto Grimaldi, screenwriter Sergio Donati, and actor Mickey Knox recalling the film, 5 minutes of extended scenes, 12 minutes of location comparisons, radio spots, and 2 high-def theatrical trailers. 

The middle child may not get the most love, but it certainly is an entertaining movie.  We have to give it some love since the dynamics in it would lead up to the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. 

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